James Beard Award Finalist: Justin Carlisle Of Milwaukee’s Ardent

MILWAUKEE, WI — Justin Carlisle, the chef and owner at the 22-seat Ardent restaurant in Milwaukee, is a finalist for a James Beard Award in the category of Best Chef: Midwest, according to a Wednesday announcement. The James Beard Awards are considered the Oscars of the food word.

The winners will be announced at the 2017 James Beard Awards Gala on May 1 at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. Media awards, also announced Wednesday, will be awarded at New York City’s Pier Sixty at Chelsea Piers on April 25.

Other finalists in the Midwest chefs competition are Steven Brown, Tilia, and Jorge Guzman, Brewer’s Table at Surly Brewing Co., both in Minneapolis; and Kevin Nashan, Sidney Street Cafe, and Kevin Willmann, Farmhaus, both in St. Louis.

Carlisle is the only Wisconsin finalist to advance to the finals of the prestigious awards contests. Among the semi-finalists announced Feb. 15 were the following from Milwaukee: Paul and Joe Bartolotta of the The Bartolotta Restaurants, Outstanding Restaurateurs Award, and Karen Bell of Bavette La Boucherie and Thomas Hauck of c.1880, both the Best Chef: Midwest category.

Other Best Chef: Midwest semifinalists from Wisconsin include Lisa Carlson of Chef Shack in Bay City; Dan Fox of Heritage Tavern and Jonny Hunter of Forequarter in Madison; and Luke Zahm of Driftless Cafe in Viroqua.

Also, L'Etoile in Madison was also a semifinalist in the Outstanding Restaurant category.

Photo by David Elwood via Flickr Commons