Just one nominee from Colorado (out of 13 semifinalists) has made it to the final round of this year’s prestigious James Beard awards, the foundation announced Wednesday.
That’s a surprise, since last year Colorado swept the best chef in the Mountain Region category with five finalists all hailing from the Front Range. (And Annette’s Caroline Glover ended up taking home the prize.)
This year, Chef Michael Diaz de Leon with BRUTØ — owned by Denver restaurateur Kelly Whitaker and located at 1801 Blake St., within the Dairy Block — is still in the running for the best chef in the Mountain Region category, which includes Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Utah and Wyoming.
Before he was the executive chef at BRUTØ, Diaz de Leon hosted weekly taco omakase pop-ups under the name Pinchi Umami at BRUTØ, an open-fire-driven concept, during the pandemic. Whitaker brought him on as chef de cuisine later that year, giving him full reign of the 16-seat chef’s counter. Now, Diaz de Leon’s tasting menu focuses on regional food within Mexico, Central America and Colorado.
When the James Beard Foundation announced semifinalists in January, Colorado boasted 13 nominations, including in several nationally competitive categories such as outstanding restaurateur, outstanding chef and best new restaurant.
The winners will be announced on June 5 during an in-person awards ceremony at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. See the full list of nominees here.
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