Colorado Chefs Finalists For 2022 James Beard Awards

DENVER, CO — The 2022 James Beard Award finalists were released Wednesday, featuring five Colorado chefs.

Though several Colorado chefs and restaurants were recognized on Feb. 24 as semifinalists across many different categories for the prestigious award — which is returning after a two-year hiatus — only a few chefs are moving forward as finalists.

Here are the Colorado finalists for the 2022 James Beard Awards:

Best Chef: Mountain (CO, ID, MT, UT, WY)

• Jose Avila, El Borrego Negro, Denver
• Cody Cheetham, Tavernetta, Denver
• Caroline Glover, Annette, Aurora, CO
• Dana Rodriguez, Work & Class, Denver
• Eric Skokan, Black Cat Farm Table Bistro, Boulder, CO

The James Beard Foundation also announced winners for its Lifetime Achievement and Humanitarian of the Year awards, according to a press release.

The Lifetime Achievement Award went to Martin Yan, a TV cooking show host and a cookbook author who started cooking on television in 1978 and has gone on to publish more than 30 cookbooks.

The Humanitarian of the Year Award went to Grace Young, a James Beard Award-winning cookbook author and culinary historian who raised money to help save Chinatowns across the country during the pandemic.

The James Beard Awards ceremony is set to take place on June 13 at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.

"The Awards are a great reminder that we are among innovators, entrepreneurs, and trailblazers
who represent a wide range of regions, cultures, and cooking philosophies," said Tanya Holland,
chair of the James Beard Awards Committee. "And this year, in particular, is a great reminder of
how incredibly diverse our industry is. This is the most diverse list I've seen in Awards history, and I am honored to be a part of that change."

A full list of the finalists can be found here.