Semifinalists For James Beard Awards Include Numerous Colorado Chefs, Restaurants
DENVER (CBS4) - The James Beard Foundation has released the list of semifinalists for its annual restaurant and chef awards, and Colorado is represented well on the list.
Denver chef Jennifer Jasinski is a semifinalist for Outstanding Chef for her Rioja restaurant in Larimer Square.
Frasca Food & Wine in Boulder is up for Outstanding Restaurant. Frank Bonanno of Bonanno Concepts in Denver is up for Outstanding Restaurateur and Element 47 of The Little Nell in Aspen is up for Outstanding Wine Program.
Denver also has three chefs who are semifinalists in the Best Chef: Southwest category: Steven Redzikowski of Acorn, Dana Rodriguez of Work & Class and Alex Seidel of Fruition.
Jasinski is a previous winner of the Best Chef: Southwest category. She won in 2013.
Announcing the 2016 JBF Restaurant and Chef Award semifinalists: https://t.co/r23hYhafxJ #jbfa pic.twitter.com/2NKUMfyroE
— James Beard Foundation (@beardfoundation) February 17, 2016
The finalists will be announced on March 15 and the awards ceremony will be held in Chicago on May 2.
A James Beard Award is generally viewed as the most sought after award for a chef in America. The foundation describes its mission as "to celebrate, nurture, and honor America's diverse culinary heritage through programs that educate and inspire."