These Colorado restaurants and chefs are 2026 James Beard Award semifinalists

The James Beard Foundation announced its 2026 award semifinalists on Wednesday, and foodies will be excited to learn that 17 Colorado restaurants, bars, chefs, and others in the industry made the cut.

Final nominees will be announced on March 31 and the winners will be announced at the James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards Ceremony on June 15, but for now, you can see which of the Colorado semifinalists might be worthy of your taste buds. Most are centered around the Denver-metro area, but some are scattered elsewhere in the state.

The announcement is broken up into several categories, including outstanding restaurateur, outstanding chef, outstanding restaurant, emerging chef, best new restaurant, outstanding bakery, regional awards, and more. 

In the category of outstanding restaurateur, a familiar name emerged. Chef and restaurant designer Tommy Lee is a semifinalist and the brains behind popular Denver-area establishments like Uncle, a ramen restaurant with locations in Washington Park and Highland; Hop Alley, a Chinese restaurant with craft beer, cider, and cocktails in RiNo; and Molino Chido, a hip taqueria in Aurora's Stanley Marketplace with various spirits and wines. Lee and his restaurants have won multiple prestigious food awards over the years.

Josh Niernberg, chef and co-owner of Bin 707 Foodbar in Grand Junction, is a semifinalist in the outstanding chef category. He was a James Beard Award finalist last year and a semifinalist in 2022 and 2023 for his western Colorado restaurant.

Kizaki was named a semifinalist for best new restaurant in the country. The Denver sushi bar in the Platt Park neighborhood earned a Michelin star last year and was named one of Esquire's best new restaurants in America last month.

Poulette Bakeshop in Parker is a semifinalist for outstanding bakery. It was a semifinalist last year and in 2022, the New York Times called it one of the best bakeries in the country.

Also in the baked goods department, Emily Thompson of The Wolf's Tailor in Denver's Sunnyside neighborhood, made the list of semifinalists for outstanding pastry chef or baker.

Restaurant Olivia in Denver, boasting cocktails, French cuisine, and local beer, made the list for outstanding hospitality.

Lady Jane in LoHi, which has earned a number of local awards, is a semifinalist in the outstanding bar category, and Van Atta, in Telluride, made the list of best new bars.

In keeping the drinks flowing, Ryan Fletter, of Barolo Grill in Denver, is a semifinalist for outstanding professional in beverage service, and McLain Hedges and Mary Allison Wright, of Yacht Club in Denver, are in the outstanding professional in cocktail service category.

And in the "Mountain" region — which includes Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Utah, and Wyoming — for best chef, Colorado dominated the category with the following seven semifinalists of 20 in the region:

• Theo Adley, Marigold, Lyons
• Johnny Curiel, Alma Fonda Fina, Denver
• Dave Grant and Rocky Hunter, Gladys, Edgewater
• Miles Odell, Odell's Bagel, Denver
• Bo Porytko, Molotov Kitschen + Cocktails, Denver
• Kenneth Wan, MAKFam, Denver
• Penelope Wong, Yuan Wonton, Denver