Minneapolis restaurant, wine bar named finalists for national James Beard Awards

The Twin Cities restaurant scene came on strong Wednesday when the James Beard Foundation announced the nominees for its Restaurant & Chef Awards. Of the 11 Minnesotans named in January as semifinalists, five have advanced to the finals in the prestigious world competition.

Two local nominees moved on in highly competitive national categories. Bûcheron, the French corner restaurant in Minneapolis' Kingfield neighborhood from spouses Jeanie Janas Ritter and chef Adam Ritter, is up for Best New Restaurant in the country against nine other finalists from Denver, Seattle, Houston, Pittsburgh, Dallas, Washington, Winter Park, Fla., New York City and Helena, Mont.

Minneapolis natural wine bar Bar Brava is one of only five nominees in the Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program. Owner Dan Rice opened the bar on Washington Avenue in 2019.

In the Beards' regional awards, the Twin Cities dominates the Best Chef: Midwest category, with three of the five nominees. They are: Shigeyuki Furukawa of Kado no Mise in Minneapolis, Diane Moua of Diane's Place in Minneapolis, and Karyn Tomlinson of Myriel in St. Paul.

On the national stage

The Ritters said they were stunned to learn that their Minneapolis restaurant Bûcheron moved to the final round for Best New Restaurant in the country.

"I'm just completely blown away. The fact that we made it as a semifinalist was incredible and we were happy with just that fact and we didn't even think the finals was possible in such a big category," Jeanie Janas Ritter said.

The wife-and-husband duo — Jeanie heads the front of the house, Adam the kitchen — took a chance when they opened a small neighborhood restaurant offering fine dining with Midwestern flair.

"Adam has a really unique style and vision, so the more that this is settling in, it's so cool because all of his hard work and development as a chef that we're putting into this tiny restaurant is getting recognized," she said. "I'm so proud of our team and our hospitality, too."

If any place on this list has a wine in mind for every occasion, it's likely Bar Brava. So when Dan Rice learned that his natural wine bar made the final cut for Outstanding Wine Bar in the country, he was already thinking of ways to celebrate. But first he reveled in how the recognition validates what his team has been doing all along.

"Is emblematic of the people who put in the hard work, and that we're not just flyover country," he said.

"We're super grateful and we're looking forward to raising a glass with our regulars," he said. "Biodynamic champagne, of course."

Best chef finalists

At first, Diane Moua didn't believe the news when her PR team told her she'd made it to the next round. When it sunk in, "it was really amazing to jump around and celebrate" with her team at Diane's Place. "This week we're going on a year, so to be on there, it's really crazy," she said.

This is Moua's third time in the finals, but her first in the Best Chef: Midwest category. She was previously nominated twice for Outstanding Pastry Chef from her time at Spoon and Stable. This honor, she said, feels bigger, because it's for her whole team.

"It's really exciting to have your own restaurant and be acknowledged," she said. "We're gonna absorb everything, even if I don't win, just to make it to the finals. We work so hard and some days we barely have any time to rest. Just to be acknowledged is an amazing feeling."

Karyn Tomlinson was mentally preparing herself and her staff for disappointment Wednesday. As the hours went on and she didn't hear anything, she "made peace with not being in the finalist round," and baked banana bread for her team as a consolation. Then, she got two texts at the same time from restaurateur peers, Gavin Kaysen and Tim Niver, and found out that she'd advanced in the competition for the first time. (She's been a semifinalist four times, including this year.)

"Now it's going to be celebratory banana bread," she said.

The recognition from the Beards is "really a testament to the hard work we've put in," Tomlinson said. "It's one thing when we have a new restaurant and there's momentum, but it'll be our fourth year in July, and to keep momentum up and committed to getting better every day, it's validating."

Tomlinson is looking forward to the ceremony, with plans to wear her grandmother's dress, a 1930s coral gown, from when she was named Corn Queen in her hometown of Cokato.

"She's the one who taught me to make pie, and I never had an occasion to wear it. She is the one who inspired me in hospitality," Tomlinson said.

Myriel also nabbed a separate honor Wednesday, being named the ninth-best U.S. restaurant in Food & Wine's Global Tastemakers awards, a revelation that shocked her. The magazine wrote, "It's worth the ticket to Minnesota for such a beautifully restrained tasting menu."

"There's a weight" to the accolades, Tomlinson said. "I want to steward it well, on behalf of our community, on behalf of the team here, on behalf of the farmers we work with. Because platforms are fickle, and if there's a spotlight on us right now for whatever reason, I want to use it really well to help set the stage for more people to continue the work."

Shigeyuki Furukawa found out he was a finalist for Best Chef: Midwest from Tomlinson. "She texted me and said congratulations and that we are going to Chicago," he said.

Furukawa runs Kado no Mise, or "corner restaurant," based on the style of cooking he learned when living in Tokyo. The second-floor restaurant serving up prix-fixe omakase menus leaves it up to the chef to curate dishes, in which most of the ingredients are sourced from Japan.

Furukawa said he is glad the restaurant he opened eight years ago is getting recognition. For him, it's about introducing others to the art and style of cuisine near and dear to his heart.

"We are doing traditional and authentic Japanese food that I want to introduce to more people in the Midwest and America," he said.

Expanding its reach

This year, the James Beard Foundation also will honor a Minnesota legislator.

New for 2025, the Impact Awards recognize "changemakers actively working to push for standards that create a more equitable, sustainable, and economically viable restaurant industry and food system for producers, workers, and consumers alike." U.S. Rep. Angie Craig, who represents Minnesota's Second Congressional District, is one of five honorees in this category.

"It is an honor to be named as a 2025 James Beard Impact Awards Honoree," Craig told the Minnesota Star Tribune in a statement. "From the farmers who grow the food to the chefs who bring their products to life, it takes a village to feed the world."

Craig, the granddaughter of a farm foreman and the top Democrat on the House Agriculture Committee, said, "I am committed to supporting the farmers, producers and small business owners who power the food economy and will continue working to ensure that every American can put food on the table."

The award will be presented to Craig and the other honorees June 15.

Established in 1990, the James Beard Awards are often described as the Oscars of the food world. The 2025 awards ceremony is June 16 in Chicago. For a complete list of the finalists, go to jamesbeard.org.

Eva Herscowitz of the Minnesota Star Tribune contributed to this story.