This morning, the James Beard Foundation announced the final nominees for its 2022 awards live on Twitter from Scottsdale, Arizona.
Among the local nominees who will represent Milwaukee at the James Beard Awards on June 13 are three nominees for Best Chef Midwest, including Dane Baldwin of The Diplomat (a three-time semi-finalist); five-time semi-finalist Karen Bell of Bavette La Boucherie and Gregory Leon of Amilinda, who was a first time semi-finalist for 2022.
Butter burger haven, Solly’s Grille, was also honored this year as one of six America's Classics Award recipients for 2022.
More kudos
We can also take great pride that we have countless chefs in our city and state who deserve acclaim for putting forth their best work, even during the toughest of times.
This includes our record number of 2022 semi-finalists, who – although they did not make the finals – deserve acknowledgement for their resilience, leadership, innovation and creativity.
Those honorees include: Goodkind (semifinalist for Outstanding Bar Program); Joe Muench, Dan Sidner, Amy Kerstein, and Jason Kerstein of Black Shoe Hospitality (semifinalist for Outstanding Restaurateur); Daniel Jacobs and Dan Van Rite of EsterEv (semifinalists for Best Chef Midwest); Sanford (a semi-finalist for Outstanding Hospitality); Odd Duck (semi-finalist for Outstanding Restaurant); and Kyle Knall of Birch (semi-finalist for Outstanding Chef).
View the complete list of 2022 James Beard nominees here.
The 2022 Restaurant and Chef Awards Ceremony will take place at the Lyric Opera in Chicago on Monday, June 13.
More on the James Beard Foundation Awards
Established in 1990, with inaugural awards issued in 1991, the James Beard Awards the mission of the James Beard Awards is to “recognize exceptional talent and achievement in the culinary arts, hospitality, media, and broader food system, as well as demonstrate commitment to racial and gender equity, community, sustainability, and a culture where all can thrive. As the preeminent benchmark for culinary excellence, the Awards program is one of many that support the James Beard Foundation’s mission of Good Food For Good®.”
The 2022 James Beard Awards will be the first in two years, after a hiatus during which the Awards underwent a full audit of its policies and procedures, with the goal of removing bias, increasing transparency and accessibility, and making the program more aligned with the Foundation’s mission and values.
As a passionate champion of the local dining scene, Lori has reimagined the restaurant critic's role into that of a trusted dining concierge, guiding food lovers to delightful culinary discoveries and memorable experiences.
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 every dish. Lori is the author of two books: the "Wisconsin Field to Fork" cookbook and "Milwaukee Food". Her work has garnered journalism awards from entities including the Milwaukee Press Club. In 2024, Lori was honored with a "Top 20 Women in Hospitality to Watch" award by the Wisconsin Restaurant Association.
When she’s not eating, photographing food, writing or planning for TV and radio spots, 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.
