This morning, the James Beard Foundation announced the semifinalists for its 2025 Restaurant and Chef Awards, and St. Louis is well-represented—not only in regional categories but also in the national awards. The St. Louis metro area scored seven nods in categories ranging from the prestigious Outstanding Restaurateur to specialty categories and regional chef nominations, showcasing the depth and breadth of the region’s culinary scene.
Outstanding Restaurateur
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Already a James Beard Award winner for 2015 Best Chef: Midwest, Gerard Craft received his first nomination for this year’s Outstanding Restaurateur. The national category represents those who demonstrate leadership in the culinary world and, according to the foundation, “their establishment(s) [serve] as a vehicle for building community [and they] demonstrate creativity in entrepreneurship, and integrity in restaurant operations.” Craft’s Niche Food Group, which was also named in the nomination, consists of Bowood by Niche, Brasserie, Brass Bar, Expat BBQ, Fordo’s Killer Pizza, None of the Above, Pastaria, and Pastaria Deli & Wine.
Emerging Chef
Vicia’s chef de cuisine Jane Sacro Chatham represents St. Louis and Take Root Hospitality in the national Emerging Chef category this year. The award, which recognizes “a chef who displays exceptional talent, character, and leadership ability, and who is likely to make a significant impact in years to come,” is Sacro Chatham’s first James Beard Foundation nomination and represents the seventh nomination for Take Root Hospitality, which was a 2024 semifinalist for Outstanding Restaurateur, a 2018 semifinalist for Best New Restaurant (Vicia), a 2022 semifinalist for Best Wine Program and Best Bar Program (Vicia), and a semifinalist for Best Chef: Midwest in 2019 and 2020 (Michael Gallina).
Outstanding Bakery
For years, St. Louisans have known that Nathaniel Reid Bakery is one of the best bakeries in the country. Now, the Kirkwood bakery can tout itself as a James Beard semifinalist, thanks to a nod in this year’s national Outstanding Bakery Category. It marks the first time that the bakery has received this nomination, though its owner, Nathaniel Reid, was a semifinalist for Outstanding Baker in 2019 and 2020. The difference in this award is that it is focused on the overall food, operations, hospitality, and atmosphere of the bakery itself, rather than the individual talent of a particular baker.
Outstanding Professional in Beverage Service
Two St. Louis beverage heavyweights are representing the area in this new, national category. Natasha Bahrami of The Gin Room and Alisha Blackwell-Calvert of Madrina both received semifinalist nominations in a new category this year, Outstanding Professional in Beverage Service. Unlike the foundation’s other beverage awards, this category is broader, encompassing Bahrami’s and Blackwell-Calvert’s excellence in curation, hospitality, and mentorship. It marks Bahrami’s first named nomination, though The Gin Room was a semifinalist in 2023 for Best Spirits Selection. It is Blackwell-Calvert’s first nomination.
Best Chef: Midwest
Two of St. Louis’ biggest culinary names are repeating their runs as Best Chef-Midwest semifinalists: Nick Bognar of Indo and Sado, and Loryn Nalic of Balkan Treat Box and Telva at the Ridge. This is Bognar’s fifth James Beard Foundation nod; Bognar was a Best Chef: Midwest semifinalist in 2023, a Rising Star Chef of the Year nominee in 2019 and 2020, and Indo was a semifinalist for Best New Restaurant in 2020. Nalic is also a familiar name to the foundation, having racked up Best Chef: Midwest semifinalist nominations in 2020, 2023, and 2024.
Finalists will be announced April 22 and winners June 16 at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.
