James Beard Awards
Racine’s HobNob supper club, Milwaukee chefs nominated.
This year, the Wisconsin semifinalists for the James Beard Award include the midcentury Racine-area supper club the HobNob for the first time, for a hospitality award.
Two Milwaukee chefs are semifinalists for the best chef Midwest award, in a field of 20. They are Dane Baldwin of the Diplomat, 815 E. Brady St., and Karen Bell of Bavette La Boucherie, 330 E. Menomonee St. Madison chef Sean Pharr of Mint Mark is the third semifinalist from Wisconsin.
Besides Wisconsin, the Midwest region includes Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska and the Dakotas.
Semifinalist for outstanding restaurateur, a national award, is Paul Bartolotta of Bartolotta Restaurants, which operates Ristorante Bartolotta, Bacchus, Lake Park Bistro and others. He previously was a semifinalist with his brother, the late Joe, for the award.
The HobNob, at 277 Sheridan Road in Kenosha County, is a semifinalist for outstanding hospitality, a national award for “a restaurant in operation for five or more years that demonstrates consistency and exceptional thoughtfulness in hospitality and service.”
Another semifinalist for outstanding hospitality is Love Handle in Indianapolis, a restaurant that owners Chris and Ally Benedyk started in Milwaukee, operating it on East North Avenue from 2013 to 2015. They and the HobNob are on the award long list with restaurants including Canlis in Seattle and Mistral in Boston.
Other semifinalists with Wisconsin connections include Diane Moua of Spoon and Stable in Minneapolis for outstanding pastry chef, a national award. She’s a native of Junction City in Portage County.
The nominees will be named March 25 in Philadelphia. The awards, bestowed by the New York-based James Beard Foundation, take place May 4 in Chicago.
Contact dining critic Carol Deptolla at carol.deptolla@jrn.com or (414) 224-2841, or through the Journal Sentinel Food & Home page on Facebook. Follow her on Twitter at @mkediner or Instagram at @mke_diner.