4 Minneapolis chefs, 1 restaurant named James Beard Award finalists

The finalists for the 2020 James Beard Foundation Awards were announced on Monday, and Minneapolis is well represented.

The organization is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, but due to the coronavirus pandemic there will be no actual ceremony, with winners instead announced via press release on May 27.

Among this year's finalists from Minnesota is Demi, Gavin Kaysen's new limited capacity tasting menu experience in the North Loop which is one of five finalists in the national Best New Restaurant category.

Another Kaysen restaurant, Spoon & Stable, is the home of Outstanding Pastry Chef finalist Diane Moua, who was nominated in the same category in 2018.

In the Best Chef: Midwest category – which includes restaurants from Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, the Dakotas, and Wisconsin – three of the five finalists are from Minneapolis.

The are Steven Brown of Tilia, Jamie Malone of Grand Cafe, and Christina Nguyen of Hai Hai.

Here are the finalists from Minnesota:

Best New Restaurant

Demi
Minneapolis

Outstanding Pastry Chef (Presented by Lavazza)

Diane Moua
Spoon and Stable
Minneapolis

Best Chef: Midwest (IA, KS, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD, WI)

Steven Brown
Tilia
Minneapolis

Jamie Malone
Grand Café
Minneapolis

Christina Nguyen
Hai Hai
Minneapolis