This morning, the James Beard Foundation announced the nominees for its 2023 chef and restaurant awards.
Among the local nominees who will represent Milwaukee at the James Beard Awards on June 5 are Chef Gregory Leon of Amilinda, who has been nominated in the category of Best Chef Midwest; and Lupi & Iris, Chef Adam Siegel’s debut restaurant which opened in May of 2022, which is officially in the running for Best New Restaurant.
Chef Gregory Leon will be up against four other nominees for Best Chef Midwest including Sanaa Abourezk of Sanaa’s Gourmet Mediteranean (Sioux Falls, South Dakota); Francesco Mangano of Osteria Papavero (Madison); Itaru Nagano and Andrew Kroeger of Fairchild (Madison); and David Utterback of Yoshitomo (Omaha, Nebraska).
In the category of Best New Restaurant, Lupi and Iris face off against Causa (Washington D.C.), Dept of Culture (New York), Don Artemio Mexican Heritage (Forth Worth, Texas), Kann (Portland, Oregon), Neng Jr.'s (Asheville, North Carolina), Nolia (Cincinnati, OH), Obélix, (Chicago), Restaurant Beatrice (Dallas, Texas) and Tatemó (Houston, Texas).
View the full list of nominees here.
The winners will be celebrated at the James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards ceremony on Monday, June 5, 2023, at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.
As a passionate champion of the local dining scene, Lori has reimagined the restaurant critic's role into that of a trusted dining concierge, guiding food lovers to delightful culinary discoveries and memorable experiences.
Lori is an avid cook whose accrual of condiments and spices is rivaled only by her cookbook collection. Her passion for the culinary industry was birthed while balancing A&W root beer mugs as a teenage carhop, fed by insatiable curiosity and fueled by the people whose stories entwine with every dish. Lori is the author of two books: the "Wisconsin Field to Fork" cookbook and "Milwaukee Food". Her work has garnered journalism awards from entities including the Milwaukee Press Club. In 2024, Lori was honored with a "Top 20 Women in Hospitality to Watch" award by the Wisconsin Restaurant Association.
When she’s not eating, photographing food, writing or planning for TV and radio spots, you’ll find Lori seeking out adventures with her husband Paul, traveling, cooking, reading, learning, snuggling with her cats and looking for ways to make a difference.
