A select group of Phoenix chefs found their phones blowing up on Wednesday morning. Texts, calls and DMs congratulated the freshly named 2025 James Beard Award semifinalists.
For some, these celebratory notifications also broke the news.
Restaurateur Armando Hernandez co-owns Santo Arcadia, a restaurant nominated in the Best New Restaurant category. Excited to see some friends on the list, he texted chefs Bernie Kantak and Stephen Jones, both nominated for Best Chef - Southwest.
Kantak and Jones both admit they were perplexed by Hernandez’s text – until he sent a screenshot of the James Beard Award semifinalists list.
“I was like, ‘what are you guys talking about?'” Jones says of the flood of text messages. “I literally had no clue.”
Others turned off notifications entirely. Little Rituals owners Ross Simon and Aaron DeFeo work late, so they try to keep their phones quiet. But, DeFeo awoke to a text from a member of the media congratulating him on the nomination for Outstanding Bar.
“It’s thrilling each and every time,” DeFeo says. Little Rituals was a semifinalist in the category last year and for Outstanding Bar Program in 2020.
“It really gives us a good boost in January because this is a tough month for our industry,” he says.
The news sank in as chefs balanced the demands of their kitchens and personal lives.
Two of Kantak's three restaurants dealt with oven repairs as he was “stunned” by the news of becoming a semifinalist in the Best Chef - Southwest category for a second time. He was recognized in 2020 for his work at Citizen Public House.
Alex and Yotaka “Sunny” Martin, owners of the downtown Thai restaurant Lom Wong, were looking at rugs for their home when they got the news that Yotaka was a semifinalist for Best Chef - Southwest. This year marks her second time earning the recognition.
“I feel very happy with that. I (am) happy for the restaurant and I’m happy for the team who works so hard,” she says.
Yotaka didn’t expect to be on the awards' radar, she says. She’s not alone in that feeling.
“It always comes as a surprise and a shock for me and it’s always really exciting, too,” says Valentine pastry chef Crystal Kass.
Kass has been named a semifinalist for Outstanding Pasty Chef or Baker for the last three years. The nominations recognize her work at the Melrose-area restaurant that pays homage to the people and ingredients of Arizona.
Still, inclusion one year doesn’t guarantee it the next. The three-peat is notable, but Kass says the most special part is receiving a nod alongside colleague and chef Donald Hawk. He is among the Best Chef - Southwest semifinalists.
“It’s really special,” he says, adding that he’s excited to be named alongside Kass as well as Kantak, a mentor who he worked for at The Gladly and Citizen Public House.
Hawk was a semifinalist in 2022 for Emerging Chef of the Year. He and others nominated this year all called out their teams – from those in the kitchens to the servers and bartenders on the floor.
“It’s always been a team (recognition) in my mind,” Hawk says.
Restaurateurs also thanked diners for supporting them over the years. Nadia Holguin and her husband Hernandez started their growing roster of restaurants with Tacos Chiwas. The Valley taqueria has grown to three locations and the duo have opened other concepts. Holguin was nominated for Best Chef in 2019 and with Hernandez for Outstanding Restaurateur in 2024.
“We’re very blessed and thankful for the Phoenix community,” she says. “They have always been there for us.”
“It’s cool to see a lot of people who we’ve come up around or have been part of our community getting nods too,” he says, calling out Hawk, chef Lawrence "LT" Smith of Chilte and chef Isaac Mendoza, whose bistro and wine bar Kid Sister was named a semifinalist for Best New Bar.
In total, 15 Arizona semifinalists were named across nine categories. Jones says it's a testament to how the Valley’s food and drinks scene has evolved over the last decade.
“It’s amazing to see people who have earned it and worked so damn hard to get the recognition, it's really cool,” he says. "Not to mention, it's about time that the country starts to look at Phoenix now and says, 'there's something going on here.'"
While the reality of the news settles in, semifinalists shared a mix of gratitude and a commitment to celebrating.
“We get to do what we love every day,” Hernandez says. “It’s a huge validation to a lot of hard work and a lot of stress and a lot of craziness.”
Business partners Holguin and Roberto Centeno agreed.
“It’s just showing us that we need to keep moving forward,” Holguin says. “Season is almost here and we’ll work even harder.”
Jones received two semifinalist nods, in 2020 and 2022, for cooking at his award-winning Southern restaurant. The Larder & The Delta debuted in a new location with a fine dining tasting menu format in September. Echoing Holguin, Jones called the evolution of his restaurant a “huge gamble” that’s paying off.
“This is a big win for us,” he says. “We’re going to take it as another Wednesday, but we’re going to celebrate because that lets us know we’re on to something.”
At the end of the day, these teams all have to put their heads down and get back to work.
“It’s always nice to get a pat on the back, but we have to remember what’s important, and that’s serving our guests and looking after our business,” Simon says. “It’s wonderful, warm fuzzies all around, so back at it.”
For some, these celebratory notifications also broke the news.
Restaurateur Armando Hernandez co-owns Santo Arcadia, a restaurant nominated in the Best New Restaurant category. Excited to see some friends on the list, he texted chefs Bernie Kantak and Stephen Jones, both nominated for Best Chef - Southwest.
Kantak and Jones both admit they were perplexed by Hernandez’s text – until he sent a screenshot of the James Beard Award semifinalists list.
“I was like, ‘what are you guys talking about?'” Jones says of the flood of text messages. “I literally had no clue.”
Others turned off notifications entirely. Little Rituals owners Ross Simon and Aaron DeFeo work late, so they try to keep their phones quiet. But, DeFeo awoke to a text from a member of the media congratulating him on the nomination for Outstanding Bar.
“It’s thrilling each and every time,” DeFeo says. Little Rituals was a semifinalist in the category last year and for Outstanding Bar Program in 2020.
“It really gives us a good boost in January because this is a tough month for our industry,” he says.
Alex and Yotaka “Sunny” Martin launched Lom Wong in 2022, followed by Mr. Baan's Bar and Mookata in 2023 (pictured). Yotaka has received a second nomination for Best Chef - Southwest.
Mary Berkstresser
Two of Kantak's three restaurants dealt with oven repairs as he was “stunned” by the news of becoming a semifinalist in the Best Chef - Southwest category for a second time. He was recognized in 2020 for his work at Citizen Public House.
Alex and Yotaka “Sunny” Martin, owners of the downtown Thai restaurant Lom Wong, were looking at rugs for their home when they got the news that Yotaka was a semifinalist for Best Chef - Southwest. This year marks her second time earning the recognition.
“I feel very happy with that. I (am) happy for the restaurant and I’m happy for the team who works so hard,” she says.
Yotaka didn’t expect to be on the awards' radar, she says. She’s not alone in that feeling.
Valentine pastry chef Crystal Kass is a James Beard Award semifinalist for the third year in a row. The restaurant's chef, Donald Hawk, is nominated for Best Chef - Southwest.
Sara Crocker
Learning the news was shocking, stunning, special
Kass has been named a semifinalist for Outstanding Pasty Chef or Baker for the last three years. The nominations recognize her work at the Melrose-area restaurant that pays homage to the people and ingredients of Arizona.
Still, inclusion one year doesn’t guarantee it the next. The three-peat is notable, but Kass says the most special part is receiving a nod alongside colleague and chef Donald Hawk. He is among the Best Chef - Southwest semifinalists.
“It’s really special,” he says, adding that he’s excited to be named alongside Kass as well as Kantak, a mentor who he worked for at The Gladly and Citizen Public House.
Hawk was a semifinalist in 2022 for Emerging Chef of the Year. He and others nominated this year all called out their teams – from those in the kitchens to the servers and bartenders on the floor.
“It’s always been a team (recognition) in my mind,” Hawk says.
Restaurateurs also thanked diners for supporting them over the years. Nadia Holguin and her husband Hernandez started their growing roster of restaurants with Tacos Chiwas. The Valley taqueria has grown to three locations and the duo have opened other concepts. Holguin was nominated for Best Chef in 2019 and with Hernandez for Outstanding Restaurateur in 2024.
“We’re very blessed and thankful for the Phoenix community,” she says. “They have always been there for us.”
James Beard Award semifinalist chef Stephen Jones, like several other Phoenix semifinalists, was greeted with congratulatory texts before he realized he was among 15 Arizona nominees for the 2025 awards.
mrphx photogpraphy
Phoenix's dining scene: 'There's something going on here'
Alex Martin and others noted the large representation of Arizona chefs, bakers and mixologists in the 2025 awards.“It’s cool to see a lot of people who we’ve come up around or have been part of our community getting nods too,” he says, calling out Hawk, chef Lawrence "LT" Smith of Chilte and chef Isaac Mendoza, whose bistro and wine bar Kid Sister was named a semifinalist for Best New Bar.
In total, 15 Arizona semifinalists were named across nine categories. Jones says it's a testament to how the Valley’s food and drinks scene has evolved over the last decade.
“It’s amazing to see people who have earned it and worked so damn hard to get the recognition, it's really cool,” he says. "Not to mention, it's about time that the country starts to look at Phoenix now and says, 'there's something going on here.'"
While the reality of the news settles in, semifinalists shared a mix of gratitude and a commitment to celebrating.
“We get to do what we love every day,” Hernandez says. “It’s a huge validation to a lot of hard work and a lot of stress and a lot of craziness.”
Business partners Holguin and Roberto Centeno agreed.
“It’s just showing us that we need to keep moving forward,” Holguin says. “Season is almost here and we’ll work even harder.”
Jones received two semifinalist nods, in 2020 and 2022, for cooking at his award-winning Southern restaurant. The Larder & The Delta debuted in a new location with a fine dining tasting menu format in September. Echoing Holguin, Jones called the evolution of his restaurant a “huge gamble” that’s paying off.
“This is a big win for us,” he says. “We’re going to take it as another Wednesday, but we’re going to celebrate because that lets us know we’re on to something.”
At the end of the day, these teams all have to put their heads down and get back to work.
“It’s always nice to get a pat on the back, but we have to remember what’s important, and that’s serving our guests and looking after our business,” Simon says. “It’s wonderful, warm fuzzies all around, so back at it.”
