Steve Redzikowski of Oak at Fourteenth and Acorn was a semi-finalist for the 2015 James Beard Awards for Best Chef Southwest, but was not among the final nominees. (Denver Post archives)
Not a great morning for the Colorado restaurant scene: Nominees for the were announced, and no one from this state made the cut, even though four chefs and one restaurant made the .
There had been high hopes for three chefs in the Best Chef Southwest category: Dana Rodriguez (Work and Class), Alex Seidel (Fruition, Mercantile Dining and Provision) and Steve Redzikowski (Oak at Fourteenth, Acorn). Yasmin Lozada-Hissom of Denver was a semi-finalist nominee as Outstanding Pastry Chef, cited for her work at Spuntino. And Frasca Food and Wine of Boulder was nominated for Outstanding Restaurant.
Rodriguez put things in perspective back in February, when she learned she was a semi-finalist: “I was so surprised and honored to see the nomination this morning,” she said. “Never in my wildest dreams did I expec to received such a great honor. The last year at Work and Class has defied all expectation and I’m excited to see what the future holds.”
Here’s hoping the future holds more success — for her and everyone working in a Front Range kitchen.
For the record, finalists in the Best Chef Southwest category are Kevin Binkley (Binkley’s, Cave Creek, Ariz.), Aaron Franklin (Franklin Barbecue, Austin), Bryce Gilmore (Barley Swine, Austin), Hugo Ortega (Hugo’s, Houston), Martín Rios (Restaurant Martín, Santa Fe) and Justin Yu (xheart, Houston.)
For a full list of finalists across the country,
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