The 2016 James Beard Semifinalists Were Announced, and Dallas is All Up in There

EVERYBODY STOP WHAT YOU'RE DOING — the 2016 James Beard semifinalists have been announced and there are some familiar Dallas names. Yeah, OK, maybe it's just food industry folk who give a shit, but still. Here's what we've got: In Best Chef: Southwest, Dallas has four chef nominations out of...

By Beth Rankin

February 17, 2016

[
        {
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Inline Content - Mobile Display Size",
          "component": "18855504",
          "insertPoint": "2",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "2"
        },{
          "name": "Editor Picks",
          "component": "17105533",
          "insertPoint": "4",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "1"
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18349797",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17105532",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18349797",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - Leaderboard Tower - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17105535",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        }
      ]

EVERYBODY STOP WHAT YOU'RE DOING — the 2016 James Beard semifinalists have been announced and there are some familiar Dallas names. Here's what we've got:

In Best Chef: Southwest, Dallas has four chef nominations out of 20:
Matt McCallister, FT33, Dallas
Teiichi Sakurai, Tei-An, Dallas
David Uygur, Lucia, Dallas
Omar Flores, Casa Rubia, Dallas

In Outstanding Wine Program, one nod:
Four Seasons Resort & Club Dallas at Las Colinas, Irving, TX

And in the Rising Star of the Year, a well-deserved nomination:
Misti Norris, Small Brewpub, Dallas

You'll spot some overlap from last year — Matt McCallister, Omar Flores and David Uygur were all in the running for Best Chef: Southwest, though Aaron Franklin of Franklin Barbecue ultimately won (as if Franklin Barbecue needs more praised heaped upon its praise mountain). James Tidwell at the Las Colinas Four Seasons Resort and Club Dallas in Irving was a semi-finalist in the Outstanding Wine, Beer and Spirits Professional category last year, too.

Who we don't see on this year's list: John Tesar and Stephan Pyles, who were both nominated last year, though neither won. Nobody in DFW won last year, actually. Time will tell how Dallas fares this year. Here's the full list of semifinalists, if you're curious.

KEEP THE OBSERVER FREE... Since we started the Dallas Observer, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Dallas, and we'd like to keep it that way. Your membership allows us to continue offering readers access to our incisive coverage of local news, food, and culture with no paywalls. You can support us by joining as a member for as little as $1.

Beth Rankin is an Ohio native and Cicerone-certified beer server who specializes in social media, food and drink, travel and news reporting. Her belief system revolves around the significance of Topo Chico, the refusal to eat crawfish out of season and the importance of local and regional foodways.

Contact: Beth Rankin

Follow:

Facebook: ?fref=ts

Twitter: @beth_rankin