A Milwaukee Chef Wins The 2022 James Beard Award

MILWAUKEE, WI — A Milwaukee chef dominated the Midwest culinary scene as a winner in the James Beard Foundation’s 2022 Restaurant and Chef Awards, announced on Monday at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.

Dane Baldwin, chef and owner of The Diplomat in the city's Lower East Side, was chosen as the best chef in eight Midwestern states. Baldwin won over Milwaukee's Karen Bell and Gregory León and three chefs from Minneapolis.

Baldwin started his food industry career at 15 at the Sendik's Food Market in Whitefish Bay, according to Tastemade. He got behind the stove at 20 and worked at three restaurants simultaneously at one point.

Bell is the chef and owner of Bavette la Boucherie and opened a restaurant in Spain before returning to Milwaukee, Tastemade said. León owns Amalinda and spent time cooking in San Francisco and Spain before moving to Milwaukee.

These weren't the only Milwaukee chefs and restaurants to earn some recognition — Solly's Grille was announced one of the the America's Classics Award Winners in February.

Awards Honor 'Our Entire Industry'

The awards are regarded as the Oscars of the culinary industry.

The industry remains in a recovery phase after lost business during the pandemic and “still needs support,” James Beard Foundation CEO Clare Reichenbach said at the ceremony, according to a news release.

The awards honor not only individual winners but also “our entire industry — and the incredible resilience, fortitude, talent, and leadership so many have shown over the past two years,” Reichenbach said.

The awards had been on a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic. During that time, the awards program “underwent a full audit of its policies and procedures, continuing the work to remove bias, increase transparency and accessibility, and make the program more aligned with the Foundation’s mission and values.”

See Also: 3 Milwaukee Chefs Are Finalists For The 2022 James Beard Award