James Beard Awards: See How Santa Monica Fared

SANTA MONICA, CA – Foodies rejoice: you have some new restaurants to seek out. The semifinalists for this year’s James Beard Foundation Awards — dubbed the Oscars for restaurants — have been released and two restaurants from Santa Monica made the list.

The awards across 21 categories for national and regional chef and restaurant awards were released on Thursday. Categories include best new restaurant, best chef, outstanding baker and outstanding service, among others.

Out of more than 20,000 entrants, two from Santa Monica made the list. They are:

Outstanding Restaurateur: A working restaurateur who sets high national standards in restaurant operations and entrepreneurship. Candidates must have been in the restaurant business for at least 10 years. Candidates must not have been nominated for a James Beard Foundation chef award in the past five years.

• Rustic Canyon Group, Santa Monica

Rising Star Chef of the Year (Presented by S.Pellegrino® Sparkling Natural Mineral Water): A chef age 30 or younger who displays an impressive talent and who is likely to make a significant impact on the industry in years to come.

• Miles Thompson, Michael's Santa Monica

Best Chef in the West (California, Nevada, Hawaii):

• Jeremy Fox, Rustic Canyon Santa Monica

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