10 Twin Cities Chefs, Restaurants, and Bars Are James Beard Awards Semifinalists for 2025

10 Twin Cities Chefs, Restaurants, and Bars Are James Beard Awards Semifinalists for 2025

Every winner walks out of the James Beard awards ceremony with the same medal. Eliesa Johnson/James Beard Foundation

 

Minneapolis’s Ann Ahmed of Khâluna is in the running for Outstanding Chef with Spoon and Stable under consideration for Outstanding Restaurant

 

The James Beard Foundation announced its 2025 list of semifinalists on Wednesday, January 22nd, giving a nod to 10 Twin Cities restaurants and one in Saint Joseph, Minnesota, six of which were featured in national categories. For comparison, the city had seven semifinalists in 2024. Ann Ahmed of Khâluna in Minneapolis, made the so-called “long list” last year and has been under consideration in prior years.:

Outstanding Chef

Ann Ahmed, Khâluna, Minneapolis

Outstanding Restaurant

Spoon and Stable, Minneapolis

Best New Restaurant

Bûcheron, Minneapolis

Vinai, Minneapolis

Outstanding Hospitality

Mucci’s, Saint Paul

Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program

Bar Brava, Minneapolis

Best Chef: Midwest

Shigeyuki Furukawa, Kado no Mise, Minneapolis

Abraham Gessesse, Hyacinth, St. Paul

Mateo Mackbee, Krewe, Saint Joseph

Diane Moua, Diane’s Place, Minneapolis

Karyn Tomlinson, Myriel, St. Paul

This semifinalist list reflects the restaurant and chef categories; finalists in these categories will be announced on Wednesday, April 2nd. Winners will be awarded at the James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards Ceremony on Monday, June 16th at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.

Disclosure: Some Vox Media staff members are part of the voting body for the James Beard Awards.

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Khâluna: A New Restaurant by Chef Ann – Minneapolis, MN

Khâluna: A New Restaurant by Chef Ann – Minneapolis, MN

Khâluna

Khâluna (pronounced khah-loo-nah) opens mid-October!

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About

“In the Lao language, it’s a simple translation meaning “please” but it comes from the Buddhist teaching which means compassion”

The patterns embedded around the border of our logo were designed by Chicago-based Laotian artist Chantala Kommanivanh. The Lao Sinh is a traditional skirt that symbolizes the Laotian culture and ethnicity, which was the inspiration for the border.

Khâluna has a resort atmosphere that will transport you to across the ocean with it’s colorful array of food that will satisfy all of your vacation cravings. It is Chef Ann’s goal to have a little something for everyone in the neighborhood, with Khâluna and The Shop at Khâluna acting as a bridge between Minneapolis and the regions of Southeast Asia.

Chef Ann believes in fair trade, and it is her goal fill her shop with curated goods from her home country of Laos, highlighting and supporting artisans by procuring market goods at a fair, viable wage-supporting price. In addition to housing hand-crafted goods, The Shop will also be used as a Private Dining Space and features a state-of-the-art cooking studio in which Chef Ann will lead cooking classes and demonstrations.

Chef Ann is excited to embark upon this journey and hopes to have the opportunity to take you along with her!

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