Breaking: 3 Metro Phoenix Chefs Are Semifinalists for James Beard Awards

This morning, the James Beard Foundation announced its Restaurant and Chef Award semifinalists. The James Beard Awards given to chefs are broken down into categories, some based on region. In the Southwest, metro Phoenix chefs earned three nods. For "Best Chef: Southwest," the three metro Phoenix semifinalist chefs are Charleen...

By Chris Malloy

February 15, 2018

Chef Silvana Salcido Esparza of Barrio Cafe Gran Reserva. Evie Carpenter

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This morning, the James Beard Foundation announced its Restaurant and Chef Award semifinalists. The James Beard Awards given to chefs are broken down into categories, some based on region. In the Southwest, metro Phoenix chefs earned three nods.

For "Best Chef: Southwest," the three metro Phoenix semifinalist chefs are Charleen Badman (FnB in Scottsdale), Kevin Binkley (Binkley's Restaurant in Phoenix), and Silvana Salcido Esparza (Barrio Café Gran Reserva in Phoenix).

The awards are widely considered the most prestigious in the food world.

At 9:30 this morning (February 15), the foundation will be announcing Restaurant and Chef Award semifinalist nominees live on its Twitter feed.

Award finalists will be announced in Philly on March 14. This year's crop of winners will be announced on May 7 in Chicago. Stay tuned for more.

Update: A fourth Phoenix-based food professional, Sam Fox of Fox Restaurant Concepts (The Henry, North Italia, Little Cleo's Seafood Legend, and many others), was nominated as a semifinalist for a separate award: "Outstanding Restaurateur." This category of James Beard Award does not have a geographic restriction.

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Chris Malloy, former food editor and food critic at Phoenix New Times, has written for various local and national outlets. He has scrubbed pots in a restaurant kitchen, earned graduate credit for a class about cheese, harvested garlic in Le Marche, and rolled pastas like cappellacci stuffed with chicken liver. He writes stories on the food world's margins.

Contact: Chris Malloy

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