The James Beard Foundation just announced the semifinalist results for their 2017 restaurant and chef award categories. Omar Flores (Casa Rubia), Teiichi Sakurai (Tei-An), John Tesar (Knife), and David Uygur (Lucia) are vying as semifinalists for Best Chef Southwest.
Maggie Huff is a semifinalist for Outstanding Pastry Chef for her gorgeous work at FT33.
But perhaps most exciting, Flora Street Café snagged a spot as contender for Best New Restaurant nationwide. This year, the category includes a number of hot contenders from LA, New York, and Chicago. Should you need more enticement to visit the gem in the Arts District, you can read my write-up about it as Restaurant of the Year 2016.
Congratulations to our semifinalists! See the complete list here. And stay tuned for the final results, which will be announced March 15.
