Semifinalists for James Beard Awards announced
The chefs of Third Ward tasting-menu restaurant EsterEv and chefs from Sheboygan and La Crosse are among the semifinalists for James Beard Foundation awards announced last week.
Stefano Viglietti of Trattoria Stefano in Sheboygan and Jay Sparks of Lovechild in La Crosse are brand new to the list.
Dan Jacobs and Dan Van Rite made the long list for the first time for their restaurant EsterEv, in the category of best chef Midwest. Van Rite has been on the list previously for his work at the late Hinterland.
Returning to the long list this year are Karen Bell of the butcher shop-restaurant Bavette La Boucherie in the Third Ward; Justin Carlisle of the tasting-menu restaurant Ardent on the east side; Lisa Carlson of Chef Shack in Bay City, which serves rustic French fare on weekends only; Thomas Hauck of finedining c.1880 in Walker’s Point; and Jonny Hunter of Madison’s Forequarter, part of the Underground Collective, serving seasonal dishes.
Viglietti’s Trattoria Stefano is by now an institution in Sheboygan, having opened in 1994. He prepares Italian dishes with local, seasonal ingredients at his fine-dining restaurant. He also owns the Neapolitan-pizza restaurant Il Ritrovo, the English pub the Duke of Devon, and the cafe-grocery Field to Fork in Sheboygan.
Sparks opened Lovechild in La Crosse in late 2016 with his partner, Joan Ferris. The former Twin Cities chef prepares pastas and main dishes with international flavors and seasonal ingredients.
In all, the long list has 21 nominees from 20 restaurants for best chef Midwest, a region that includes Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas and North and South Dakota .
A semifinalist again for outstanding restaurant is chef Tory Miller’s fine-dining L’Etoile in Madison, a national award. In this category, a restaurant “serves as a national standard bearer of consistent quality and excellence in food, atmosphere, and service,” according to the foundation. Eligible restaurants must be at least 10 years old.
And Paul and Joe Bartolotta of Bartolotta Restaurants are again semifinalists in the category of outstanding restaurateur, also a national award. The brothers own and operate restaurants including Ristorante Bartolotta in Wauwatosa; Bacchus, Harbor House and Lake Park Bistro in Milwaukee; and Mr. B’s steakhouse in Mequon and Brookfield.
Paul Bartolotta in years past won best chef in two regions, at Spiaggia in Chicago and at what was known as Bartolotta Ristorante di Mare in Las Vegas.
Semifinalists with Wisconsin ties in other categories include two in contention for national awards: Kenosha native Tony Mantuano of Spiaggia, Chicago, for outstanding chef, and Diane Yang, who grew up in Junction City in Portage County, of Spoon and Stable in Minneapolis for outstanding pastry chef.
Other semifinalists with Wisconsin ties are Bayside native Anna Posey, nominated with her husband, David Posey, for best chef Great Lakes for their restaurant, Elske, in Chicago; and Racine native Alex Seidel, for best chef Southwest for his restaurant Mercantile Dining & Provision in Denver.
Finalists will be announced March 14 in Philadelphia, and the awards will be presented May 7 in Chicago.