The list of restaurant and chef semifinalists were announced today for the 2012 James Beard Foundation Awards, the nation's most prestigious recognition program honoring professionals in the North American food and beverage industries.
Semifinalists for this year's awards were chosen from 28,000 online nominations, and Wisconsin-area restaurants and chefs were nominated in three categories including Best Chef in the Midwest, Outstanding Bar Program and Outstanding Wine Program.
Both Justin Aprahamian of Sanford and Dan Van Rite of Hinterland received nominations for the second year in a row for Best Chef in the Midwest. They are joined by newcomer Jan Kelly of Meritage, as well as Madison-area chefs Tory Miller of L'Etoile and Shinji Muramoto of Restaurant Muramoto.
The Old Fashioned in Madison received props for its bar program, and Wild Rice Restaurant in Bayfield was nominated for its wine program.
Finalists will be announced on March 19 in Las Vegas, and the winners will be announced May 7 in New York.
For the complete list of semifinalists, visit jamesbeard.org.
Lori is an avid cook whose accrual of condiments and spices is rivaled only by her cookbook collection. Her passion for the culinary industry was birthed while balancing A&W root beer mugs as a teenage carhop, fed by insatiable curiosity and fueled by the people whose stories entwine with each and every dish. She’s had the privilege of chronicling these tales via numerous media, including OnMilwaukee and in her book “Milwaukee Food.” Her work has garnered journalism awards from entities including the Milwaukee Press Club.
When she’s not eating, photographing food, writing or recording the FoodCrush podcast, you’ll find Lori seeking out adventures with her husband Paul, traveling, cooking, reading, learning, snuggling with her cats and looking for ways to make a difference.
