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LA and OC restaurants announced as semifinalists in the James Beard Awards
Alex Garcia, along with his wife and business partner Elvia Garcia, of Evil Cooks in El Sereno, have been named semi-finalists for Best Chef in California for the second year in a row.
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Brian Feinzimer
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Topline:
Topline: The James Beard Awards announced their list of semifinalists Wednesday morning for Los Angeles and Orange counties. The list includes nine chefs for the Best Chef in California in addition to the national categories, such as outstanding and emerging chefs, restaurateurs, and outstanding bars.
The semifinalists
(Drum roll please…..)
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National categories:
Best new restaurant: Bridgetown Roti in East Hollywood
Best Bar: Thunderbolt in Historic Filipinotown
Outstanding Chef: Gilberto Cetina at Holbox in Historic South-Central
Outstanding Restaurant: Pasjoli in Santa Monica
Best Hospitality: Republique in Mid-City
Emerging Chef: Jesus "Chuy" Cervantes at Damian in the Arts District.
Best Chef California:
Charles Namba at Camélia in the Arts District
Kwang Uh at Baroo in the Arts District
Jon Yao at Kato in DTLA
Daniel Castillo at Heritage Barbeque in San Juan Capistrano
Melissa López at Barra Santos in Cypress Park
Danielle Duran Zecca at Amiga Amore in Highland Park
Evan Algorri at Ètra in Melrose Hill
Alex and Elvia Garcia at Evil Cooks in El Sereno
Second time is the charm:
Best Bakery: Gusto Bakery in Long Beach (finalist in 2024)
Outstanding Pastry Chef or Bakery: Nicole Rucker for Fat + Flour
Best Chefs California: Evil Cooks
Outstanding Wine and Other Beverage program: Strong Water Tavern in Anaheim.
Next step: From here, the list will be whittled down to the finalist list, unveiled on April 2, and winners will be announced on June 16 in Chicago. The complete list of semifinalists, including restaurants outside California, can be found on the James Beard Awards website.
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