Awards & Accolades

Arizona has two finalists in the 2024 James Beard Awards, the so-called ‘‘Oscars of the food and beverage industry.’’

Who are they?

Crystal Kass of Valentine in Phoenix is one of five finalists for the country’s Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker.

Rene Andrade from Bacanora in Phoenix is one of five finalists for Best Chef Southwest, a region that includes Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, and Oklahoma.

What’s next?

Winners will be announced June 10.

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🏆 The Gastronomic Union of Tucson (GUT), a collective of more than three dozen chefs from Arizona’s second-largest city, won best of show at the 15th annual Devour Culinary Classic at the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix on Saturday.

GUT’s team at Devour included Juan Almanza, Kelzi Bartholomaei, Mat Cable, Michael Elefante, Obadiah “Obie” Hindman, Sarah Lamberth, Roderick Ledesmo, and Devon Sanner.

GUT’s winning dishes

Birria Campanelle: Campanella with Barrio Brewing beef birria guisado, cotija, cilantro oil, avocado and lime salsa, and corn crema.

Tacos de Canasta de Calabazo & Cascabel (pictured on left): Mesquite-roasted local white squash, cascabel chiles, pepitas, tepary beans, corn tortilla, pomegranate pickled shallots, azafran vegan crema, mushroom chicharron with Sonoran chile crisp, and mico cilantro.

Jamaica & Limoncello Cheesecake (right)

Other awards

More than 100 top restaurants participated in Arizona’s premier culinary festival. Four – Arizona Wilderness Brewing, Cafe Lalibela, Chilte, and Tia Carmen – receiveddouble gold (the highest of four award designations) from a five-judge panel.

The Rez: An Urban Eatery in Phoenix won the Heritage Food Medal for best dishes with ingredients that are indigenous, low-water, or locally sourced for its Chocolate Mole Tamale and Jackfruit Taco on Fresh Blue Corn Tortilla.

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🏅 For the second straight year, Arizona has 12 semifinalists for James Beard Awards, the culinary world’s version of the Oscars.

Let’s hope they fare better than last year’s semifinalists, none of whom made the finals.

2024 semifinalists

• Outstanding Restaurateur: Armando Hernandez and Nadia Holguin (pictured), Cocina Chiwas (Tempe) and Tacos Chiwas (Phoenix, Chandler, and Mesa)
• Emerging Chef: Roberto Centeno, Espiritu (Mesa)
• Best New Restaurant: Ava Bakery (Phoenix)
• Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker: Crystal Kass, Valentine (Phoenix)
• Outstanding Hospitality: Andreoli Italian Grocer (Scottsdale)
• Outstanding Bar: Little Rituals (Phoenix)
• Best Chef: Southwest: Rene Andrade, Bacanora (Phoenix)
• Best Chef: Southwest: Flavia Briones, Barista Del Barrio (Tucson)
• Best Chef: Southwest: Pornsupak “Cat” Bunnag, Glai Baan (Phoenix)
• Best Chef: Southwest: Wendy Garcia, Tumerico (Tucson)
• Best Chef: Southwest: Sam Greenhalgh, Forêt (Flagstaff)
• Best Chef: Southwest: Claudio Urciuoli, Source (Gilbert)

What’s next?

Finalists will be announced April 3 and winners on June 10.

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🏆 Chilte, a former Mexican pop-up concept that opened a bricks-and-mortar restaurant in February at the Egyptian Motor Hotel in downtown Phoenix, has been named one of The 24 Best New Restaurants of 2023 by Bon Appetit.

‘‘Owners Lawrence Smith (a former NFL player) and Aseret Arroyo serve an impressive, constantly changing roster of ambitious Mexican dishes,’’ writes the food magazine’s Serena Dai.

It’s the second straight year a Phoenix restaurant has been recognized by Bon Appetit. Bacanora was named one of The 50 Best New Restaurants of 2022.

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🏆🍹 Century Grand, the immersive three-bar concept in Phoenix, was named Best U.S. Cocktail Bar at the Tales of the Cocktail Foundation’s 17th annual Spirited Awards, the Oscars of the bar industry, in New Orleans.

The concept: Century Grand, located on the northeast corner of Indian School and 36th Street, features three bars under one roof – Pullman train car-themed Platform 18 (pictured), New Orleans apothecary-inspired Grey Hen Rx, and Old World ship-like UnderTow.

The award: The Spirited Awards are judged by a collection of bartenders, owners, educators, and writers from around the country.

The quote: ‘‘Thrilled doesn’t begin to cover how we feel to receive this recognition, and we couldn’t have done it without all our friends, guests, and, of course, our amazing team,’’ Century Grand posted on social media.

Also honored: Little Rituals at the Residence Inn/Courtyard by Marriott in Phoenix was one of four finalists for Best U.S. Hotel Bar, but lost out to Hey Love at The Jupiter in Portland, Ore.

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12 West Brewing won a gold medal and Grand Canyon Brewing earned a silver and two bronzes at the U.S. Open Beer Championship in Oxford, Ohio.

Arizona medal winners and categories:

🥇 Gold: Smooth Transitions, 12 West Brewing, Mesa, in International Pale Ale.
🥈 Silver: Sudoku, OHSO Brewery, Gilbert, in Tea Beer.
🥈 Silver: Prickly Pear Wheat,  Grand Canyon, Williams, in American Berry/Fruit Beer – General/Other.
🥉 Bronze: Sacred Saguaro, Grand Canyon, in Vienna-Style Lager.
🥉 Bronze: Kachina Throwback, Grand Canyon, in American Wheat.
🥉 Bronze: Papago Blueberry Wheat, Huss Brewing, Tempe, in American Berry/Fruit Beer – Blueberry.

The competition: Breweries from all 50 states entered more than 9,000 beers in 160-plus different style categories.

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🍕 Three Valley pizzerias again are among the top 50 in the United States according to 2023 rankings by 50 Top Pizza, a pizza evaluation website based in Italy.

• Pizzeria Bianco in Phoenix rose to No. 6, after being ranked No. 12 last year.
• Craft 64 (pictured), which has locations in downtown Chandler and Old Town Scottsdale, jumped a whopping 20 places from No. 50 to No. 30.
• Pomo in Phoenix and Scottsdale dropped from No. 38 to No. 44.

Una Pizza Napoletana in New York City earned the top spot for the second year in a row.

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The Valley was completely shut out – going 0 for 9 – when finalists for the 2023 James Beard Foundation Awards were announced this morning.

Nine local chefs or restaurants were among 20 semifinalists in various award categories at the culinary world’s equivalent of the Oscars.

None, however, advanced to the finals, including:

• Silvana Salcido Esparza from Barrio Café in Phoenix (Outstanding Chef);
• Rene Andrade and Roberto Centeno from Bacanora in Phoenix (Best Chef Southwest);
• Fernando Hernández from Testal in Phoenix (Best Chef Southwest);
• Yotaka and Alex Martin from Lom Wong in Phoenix (Best Chef Southwest);
• Crystal Kass from Valentine in Phoenix (Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker);
• JL Patisserie in Phoenix and Scottsdale (Outstanding Bakery);
• Glai Baan in Phoenix (Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program).

In addition, there were six Arizona semifinalists from outside the Valley who also didn’t make the finals:

• Proper Meats & Provisions in Flagstaff (Outstanding Restaurant);
• Christian Lowe from Shift Kitchen & Bar in Flagstaff (Emerging Chef);
• Jaren Bates and Brett Vibber from The Table at Junipine in Sedona (Best Chef Southwest);
• Nephi Craig from Café Gozhóó in Whiteriver (Best Chef Southwest);
• Wendy Garcia from Tumerico in Tucson (Best Chef Southwest).

Still, being named a semifinalist is quite an honor in and of itself. Congrats to all of our semifinalists.

This year’s James Beard Award winners will be announced June 5.

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