The 2026 James Beard Award semifinalists have been announced, and Minnesota has made another good showing.

Ten restaurants and chefs have landed on the long list, six of them in national categories. Four chefs are vying for the same award — Best Chef: Midwest.

St. Paul’s Joan’s in the Park has had its first recognition by the James Beard Foundation with a semifinalist nod for Outstanding Hospitality.

The official list of nominees will be released March 31.

This year’s semifinalists from Minnesota are as follows:

Outstanding Restaurateur

Mike Brown, Bob Gerken, and James Winberg, Travail Collective (Travail Kitchen & Amusements, ie by Travail, and Dream Creamery), Robbinsdale: This is the first recognition for this chef-collective restaurant group. They’ve been semifinalists for Best Chef Midwest five times, though.

Outstanding Chef

Ann Ahmed, Khaluna, Minneapolis: This is the big-deal national award, and Ahmed was a semifinalist in this category last year, too. She’s also been on the short and long list for Best Chef Midwest twice. Maybe this is her year!

Alex Roberts, Alma, Minneapolis: Roberts has been in the game as long or longer than anyone else on this list. He was named Best Chef: Midwest in 2010 and has a handful of other recognitions from the foundation. Alma remains a truly exceptional restaurant.

Outstanding Restaurant

Bar La Grassa, Minneapolis: This North Loop Italian restaurant has been a national semifinalist before — in the Best New Restaurant category in 2010. Chef Isaac Becker is no stranger to the awards, either — he was named Best Chef: Midwest in 2011.

Emerging Chef

Kyle Lussier, The Pines, Grand Rapids: Lussier, chef at this farm-to-table restaurant in tiny Grand Rapids, might be the biggest surprise on this list. We love to see chefs outside the cities getting noticed!

Outstanding Hospitality

Joan’s in the Park, St. Paul: We could not be happier for maitre d’ Joan Schmitt and chef Susan Dunlop, who took over this former pizza place nearly 15 years ago and turned it into something special. Some of our favorite meals in the past few years have been at Joan’s, and the warmth and spot-on service coming from the front of the house play no small part in that.

Semifinalists for Best Chef: Midwest

Yia Vang, Vinai, Minneapolis: Vang’s Union Hmong Kitchen and Vinai have been recognized in the Best New Restaurant category, but this is Vang’s first time being a semifinalist in the Best Chef: Midwest category.

Gustavo Romero and Kate Romero, Oro by Nixta, Minneapolis: Oro was a nominee in the Best New Restaurant category in 2024, and Romero was a semifinalist in this category that year, too.

Diane Moua, Diane’s Place, Minneapolis: I really hope this is the year for our Susan Lucci of the James Beards. Moua has six James Beard semifinalist nominations and three finalist nominations, two in the nationally recognized category of Outstanding Pastry Chef and one in the Best Chef: Midwest category.

Shigeyuki Furukawa, Kado No Mise, Minneapolis: Furukawa was a finalist in this category last year for his elevated Japanese cooking.

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