The finalists for the 2019 James Beard Awards, honoring the best of the best in the restaurant and chef community (often dubbed “the Oscars of the food industry”), were announced this morning in Houston, Texas. When the semifinalists were announced a month ago, St. Louis was well represented: six local chefs and one restaurant/bar made the prestigious list.
Last year, four chefs were named semifinalists but none of them advanced to the final round.
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This year, one chef advanced: Michael Gallina in the Best Chef: Midwest category. He and his wife, Tara, own the oft-lauded Vicia located in the Cortex District in the CWE. Among other honors, last year Gallina was named to Food & Wine‘s annual list of best new chefs in America.
The other local semifinalist nominees in this year’s Best Chef: Midwest category were Lona Luo (Lona’s Lil’ Eats), Jesse Mendica (Olive + Oak), and Ny Vongsaly (Billie-Jean).
This was the first semifinalist and finalist nomination for Gallina.
When the chef heard the news, he was in the kitchen, covering for a cook on vacation, he tells SLM. “When I heard I’d been nominated, I screamed so loud I scared the hell out of our beverage director, who was the only other person in the restaurant. She thought something horrible had happened.”
Vicia has just concluded a series of dinner events where Gallina paired two cooks together for each dinner, “people who are are all so talented in their own right,” he said. “The finalist nomination is a tribute to my incredible team.”
The #TeamVicia Series continues this spring with an expanded lineup of dinners, including a traditional Filipino kamayan feast held in Vicia’s outdoor dining room on May 1, featuring sous chef Jane Sacro who hails from the Philippines.
St. Louis chefs brought home the Best Chef: Midwest award twice in the last four years: Gerard Craft (Niche) in 2015 and Kevin Nashan (Sidney Street Cafe) in 2017. Gioia’s Deli won an America’s Classics Award in 2017, the first time a St. Louis restaurant was recognized since that award’s inception in 1998.
The semifinal category includes 20 or so nominees, a list that gets culled to five in the final round. The winners will be announced at the annual James Beard Awards Gala, held on May 6 at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. Gallina says he’s attended the gala once before, when Blue Hill at Stone Barns won the Beard in 2013 for “Outstanding Restaurant” (arguably the highest honor). Gallina was Stone Barns’ chef de cuisine at the time.
Good luck in May, Michael! Bring St. Louis another Beard!
