Santa Monica Chefs and Restaurant Selected as Semifinalist for James Beard Foundation Awards

SANTA MONICA, CA -- A restaurant in Santa Monica and three chefs have been announced as semifinalists for the 27th annual James Beard Foundation Awards, it was announced Wednesday.

Mélisse was selected as a semifinalist in the Outstanding Service category. Miles Thompson, the executive chef Michael’s, was selected in the Rising Star Chef of the Year category. Jeremy Fox of Rustic Canyon Wine Bar and Seasonal Kitchen and Bryant Ng of Cassia were selected in the Best Chef: West category.

The semifinalists were selected from a list of over 24,000 online entries, organizers said. The group of semifinalists in 21 categories represents a wide range of culinary talent, from exceptional chefs and dining destinations in ten different regions across the U.S., to the nation’s top wine and spirits professionals, best new restaurants, rising star chefs, pastry chefs, and bakers, the foundation said.

The final nominees for all award categories will be announced March 15 during a press conference at a.o.c. restaurant in Los Angeles, the foundation said. Nominations will also be announced live via the foundation's Facebook Live video feed and in real time on Twitter.

Winners of the 2017 James Beard Media Awards will be announced on Tuesday, April 25, 2017, at an exclusive event honoring the nation's top cookbook authors, culinary broadcast producers and hosts, and food journalists at Pier Sixty at Chelsea Piers in New York City.

Winners of the remaining awards will be announced at the James Beard Foundation Awards Gala at the Lyric Opera of Chicago on Monday, May 1, 2017. During the event, which is open to the public, awards for the Restaurant and Chef and Restaurant Design categories will be handed out, along with special achievement awards Humanitarian of the Year, Lifetime Achievement, Design Icon, Who’s Who of Food and Beverage in America, and America’s Classics. A gala reception will immediately follow, featuring top chefs and beverage professionals from across the country.

-- Photo via Pixabay