Steve Redzikowski of Oak at Fourteenth in Boulder and Acorn in Denver is a semi-finalist for a James Beard Award for Best Chef Southwest. (Denver Post archives)
Four Front Range chefs and a restaurant have been named as semi-finalists for the 2015 James Beard Foundation Awards, which recognize culinary excellence across the United States.
The Best Chef Southwest category produced three local nominees: Dana Rodriguez of in Denver, Alex Seidel (Fruition, Mercantile Dining and Provision in Denver) and Steve Redzikowski (in Boulder, n in Denver.)
Yasmin Lozada-Hissom of in Denver was nominated for Outstanding Pastry Chef, a nationwide category. (Full disclosure: Her chef-husband, John Broening, pens a column for The Denver Post’s Food section.)
And Frasca Food and Wine in Boulder was nominated in the Outstanding Restaurant category, putting it up against such restaurants as Greens in San Francisco, Per Se and Momafuku Noodle Bar in New York City, and Hominy Grill in Charleston, S.C. Frasca has previously won a Beard Award for Best Wine Program.
Contacted just minutes after he learned about his nomination, Oak and Acorn’s Redzikowski almost sounded flustered.
“It feels pretty amazing,” he said. “I’m just not big on individual recognition in this profession, because it’s all about a team. It’s really a testament to the team.
“I’ve gotta think of something nice to get them,” Redzikowski said of his crew. “It’s kind of like the quarterback buying his linemen a big steak dinner. I’ve gotta get on that.”
A roster of Beard Award finalists, winnowed from the list announced Feb. 18, will be announced March 24. The final restaurant-and-chef awards will be announced at a May 4 ceremony at Chicago’s Lyric Opera.
All told, there were 34,000 entries in this year’s competition.
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