James Beard Names Four Cleveland Chefs Semifinalists in 2025 Awards

Four Cleveland chefs were named semifinalists in three categories of the 2025 James Beard Awards, one of the most prestigious awards in the culinary world.

Cordelia Chef Vinnie Cimino and Larder’s Jeremy Umansky were named semifinalists in the Best Chef: Great Lakes category, which includes chefs from the states of Michigan, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio.

Alexandra La Valle of Larder is a semifinalist for the national Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker category. Douglas Katz of Edgewater Hospitality was named a semifinalist for Outstanding Restauranteur, another national category. Katz owns Amba, Zhug and Kiln.

Last year, Cimino was named a James Beard Award finalist in the Best Chef: Great Lakes category. La Valle (in 2023) and Katz (in 2014) were also previously nominated for the Best Chef: Great Lakes category. Larder has been nominated multiple times since 2019. 

Larder, Amba, Zhug and Cordelia have all appeared on Cleveland Magazine's 25 Best Restaurant list as well as its Silver Spoon Reader-Voted Awards. In 2023, Cordelia was our Best New Restaurant.

This year’s awards winners will be announced on June 16 at the James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards Ceremony. If Cimino, Umansky, La Valle or Katz win a Beard award this year, they would be Cleveland’s first chef in a decade to win. Jonathan Sawyer of Greenhouse Tavern was the most recent chef from Cleveland to win.

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