Kado No Mise chef is Minnesota's only James Beard finalist

Kyle Stokes

Three people pose on a red carpet in formal wear: two men in black tuxedos with bow ties and a woman in a black dress with a beige clutch; backdrop shows Capital One and CHICAGO logos. — Kado No Mise's Shigeyuki Furukawa (center) is a finalist for a 2026 James Beard award. Photo: by Jeff Schear/Getty Images for James Beard Foundation

Kado No Mise chef Shigeyuki Furukawa was named a James Beard Award finalist Tuesday for the Midwest's best chef.

Why it matters: Out of 10 Minnesota restaurants and chefs who were previously named semifinalists in the Oscar awards of the foodie world, Furukawa is the only nominee who made the shortlist.

Zoom in: Furukawa was also a finalist last year for the regional honor.

He opened Kado No Mise — a sushi and seafood spot whose name means "corner restaurant" in Japanese — in the North Loop in 2017.

Catch up quick: Bar La Grassa was on the "long list" in the national Outstanding Restaurant category, as were Ann Ahmed of Khâluna and Alma's Alex Roberts in the Outstanding Chef category.

Other non-advancing semifinalists included the trio behind the Travail Collective, which was up for Outstanding Restaurateur; and Joan's in the Park for Outstanding Hospitality.
In the regional Best Chef-Midwest category, Diane Moua, Yia Vang, Gustavo Romero and Kate Romero were also in the running.
Kyle Lussier of Grand Rapids restaurant The Pines was in the mix for Emerging Chef.

What's next: Winners will be named June 15.

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Kado No Mise chef is Minnesota's only James Beard finalist

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