Courtesy of Take Root Hospitality
Take Root Hospitality partners Aaron Martinez, Tara Gallina, Michael Gallina
The list of semifinalists for the annual James Beard Awards was announced today. The St. Louis nominations included a restaurant group, a gin-themed bar, a French pastry shop, and three chefs in the “Best Chef: Midwest” category.
Outstanding Restaurateur
Take Root Hospitality received a nomination for “Outstanding Restaurateur,” a nationwide category. Owned by Tara and Michael Gallina and executive chef/partner Aaron Martinez, the company operates four restaurants: Vicia, Winslow’s Table, Taqueria Morita, and Bistro La Floraison. Michael Gallina was on the semifinalist list for “Best Chef: Midwest,” a regional category, in 2019 and 2020. Vicia earned three prior semifinalist nods in national categories: “Best New Restaurant” in 2018 and “Best Wine Program” and “Best Bar Program,” both in 2022.
Reacting to today’s news, Tara Gallina says the news caught her by surprise, but “we appreciated that the entire team got recognized along with all four restaurants.” She added, “I never thought I’d see my name mentioned, and since yesterday was my birthday, it’s been a really nice 24 hours. In everything that we do, we strive to be a little different and improve the industry along the way.”
Outstanding Bakery
In other nationwide categories, La Patisserie Chouquette was nominated for “Outstanding Bakery.” Simone Faure, owner of the nearly decade-old La Patisserie Chouquette in Botanical Heights, says today’s announcement “pretty much came out of the blue. I used to hope that we’d get nominated, not for me but to show my team how amazing they were and are. It’s incredibly exciting and somewhat validating. Staying motivated and creative after going through ups and downs with COVID and staffing issues has been a challenge for everyone. This definitely coming in year 10 for us is an amazing accomplishment.”
Outstanding Bar
The Gin Room was named a semifinalist for “Outstanding Bar,” another nationwide category. Natasha Bahrami, whose Gin Room (now located inside Salve Osteria, which she co-owns) has already made a splash nationally and internationally. Nearly a decade ago, Bahrami became interested in gin, a spirit on the cusp of a resurgence. What transpired was The Gin Room, worldwide speaking engagements for Bahrami as an ambassador for the spirit, and her eventual induction into the Gin Hall of Fame, the only American to receive the honor. In response to this honor, Bahrami says, "It feels so crazy surreal to be included. But then again everyone on this list does what they do because they believe that what they do makes a difference to people. Bravo to St. Louis for having so many passionate people willing to invest their love and life into our industry. Honored to work alongside them."
Best Chef: Midwest
This year’s semifinalist list also includes three metro area chefs:
- Nick Bognar for indo
- Rob Connoley for Bulrush
- Loryn Nalic for Balkan Treat Box
Bognar, who also plans to open Sado (named by Bloomberg as one of "14 Most Anticipated Restaurants in America" for 2023), had been a two-time semifinalist in the “Rising Star Chef of the Year” category, in 2019 and 2020. indo was also nominated for “Best New Restaurant” in 2020. In addition, Food & Wine named Bognar as a “Best New Chef” in 2020.
Connoley was named a "Best Chef: Midwest" semifinalist last year for Bulrush. (He was also a semifinalist in the “Best Chef: Southwest” category for Curious Kumquat, a restaurant that he owned in New Mexico, in 2014.) Connoley called the nomination “a reward for my team's hard work and especially for our academic partners and interns who are helping us with our history research and genealogy. I feel like the Ozarks are finally being respected for the cultural role it plays in our country and I'm really proud we've been able to be a part of that.”
Nalic, who owns and operates Balkan Treat box with her husband, Edo, was a semifinalist for the “Best Chef: Midwest” category in 2020, the year that the awards were canceled prior to the announcement of the finalists. Reacting to today’s news, she said, “It feels really amazing that St. Louis is such a bright light, that we get to be a part of it all and be recognized for what we do. I’m so happy for my family and the BTB team. They all believe in our future and want to work hard to stick around and feed more people. I’m just incredibly grateful.”
The finalists will be announced March 29. The winners will be announced during an awards presentation at Lyric Opera of Chicago on June 5.
