Bucheron and Myriel’s Karyn Tomlinson win James Beard Awards

CHICAGO - Minnesota swept in two categories at this year’s James Beard Awards, considered the nation’s top culinary honors.

Bûcheron, the Minneapolis restaurant from chef Adam Ritter and Jeannie Janas Ritter, was awarded the national Best New Restaurant award. In the Best Chef: Midwest category, Karyn Tomlinson of Myriel in St. Paul took the honor. Winners of the prestigious awards, considered the “Oscars of the food world,” were announced Monday night at Lyric Opera in downtown Chicago.

“We’re honored to share this category with all of you incredible restaurants who have poured your hearts into opening incredible spaces this year,” Janas Ritter said before thanking the Beard foundation, the Bûcheron staff and their family. “And finally, to our guests, you entrust us with your special occasions and your coveted nights out.
Some of you are here with us tonight … thank you for making it possible to do what we love — this is only the beginning."

The wife-husband duo debuted their neighborhood restaurant in 2024, combining French culinary techniques with Midwestern sensibilities and locally sourced ingredients. They were named one of the Star Tribune’s 2024 Restaurants of the Year. Bûcheron competed against nine other finalists from Denver, Seattle, Houston, Pittsburgh, Dallas, Washington, Winter Park, Fla., New York City and Helena, Mont.

“We have been the people behind the names for 20 years, and we waited until we were ready to do this,” Janas Ritter said after the ceremony. “It feels so good to be in this place. It’s such an honor.”

Adam Ritter said they downplayed their chances of winning after hearing Tomlinson’s name announced, and had “kind of an out of body experience” when they heard Bûcheron’s name called.

“It was insane,” he said. “I looked over at Cory [Western], our chef de cuisine, and he’s crying. And that guy doesn’t cry.”

Bûcheron is only the second Minnesota restaurant to win the Best New Restaurant, the same award that went to Sean Sherman’s Owamni in 2022.

“We’re building restaurants that have a sense of place,” Janas Ritter said. “We are a restaurant that is in Minnesota that can only be in Minnesota.”

Earlier in the evening, Tomlinson accepted her Best Chef: Midwest award from Sean Sherman, who won James Beard Awards’ Best New Restaurant in 2022.

“My heart is full of gratitude,” Tomlinson said. “I’m so thankful to the James Beard Foundation and everything that you do. I’m thankful to God. I’m thankful for all the incredible people that he’s put in my life, who’ve made this moment happen.”

Two other local chefs were in the same category as Tomlinson: Diane Moua of Diane’s Place and Shigeyuki Furukawa of Kado no Mise, both in Minneapolis. David Utterback of Ota and Yoshitomo in Omaha, and Loryn Nalic of the Balkan Treat Box in Webster Groves, Mo., rounded out the category.

Tomlinson opened Myriel in 2021 combining French techniques and dishes with her Scandinavian-Midwest heritage. She also emphasizes small community local farmers and sustainable practices to push the envelope on how we think about Midwestern cuisine.

“I am privileged to work with many such farmers today who are stewarding our resources to the best of their abilities, and proud of their work,” she said. “I am honored to work alongside an incredible team at Myriel. …The Midwest is beautiful, the Midwest is diverse, the Midwest is tenacious and strong, and we grow really great food. So let’s hear it for the Midwest!”


Myriel is the first St. Paul restaurant recognized by the James Beard Foundation.

“[The win] is about so much more than me, it’s building a legacy,” Tomlinson said after the ceremony. “It’s about so many people who do the hard work and work farming and in hospitality, who shown up for each other when someone dies with a casserole. It’s so much of that history that we have here that I want to honor, and I want to continue in a new and modern way. It’s about the goodness and the goodness of people.”

She credits her grandmother for teaching her how to make her now-famous apple pie. Tomlinson wore a vintage 1930s coral gown to the ceremony, telling the audience that her grandmother Jeanette Tomlinson donned the same when she was named Corn Queen of Cokato.

“One of many beloved Midwestern agricultural celebrations of people who are really, really proud of the food that they’re growing,” Tomlinson said.

Dan Rice’s Minneapolis natural wine bar Bar Brava was nominated in the Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program, but lost to Charleston of Baltimore.

The 35th annual awards were co-hosted by celebrity chefs Nyesha Arrington and Minnesota’s Andrew Zimmern.

Going into Monday’s ceremony, Minnesota was already off to a strong, award-winning start.

On Sunday, the James Beard Foundation held its inaugural Impact Awards to recognize “changemakers actively working to push for standards that create a more equitable, sustainable, and economically viable restaurant industry and food system for producers, workers, and consumers alike.” U.S. Rep. Angie Craig, who represents Minnesota’s Second Congressional District, was one of five honorees.

Although Craig did not attend the ceremony in Chicago — the hunt was still on for the suspect in the shootings of state House DFL leader Melissa Hortman her husband Mark and state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette — she did send a statement accepting the award:

“Food should not be a privilege – but the ability to gather around the dinner table with folks you love certainly is. I’m especially reminded of that this weekend in Minnesota," she said. “In times like these, it’s more important than ever that we find strength in community. So, I want to thank the James Beard Foundation community — and my fellow honorees — for creating this incredible community that is making a difference in the lives of everyday people."

And on Saturday, TPT’s locally produced show “Relish,” hosted by chef Yia Vang, won a James Beard Broadcast Media Award, edging out Bravo’s popular reality show “Top Chef” and public television mainstay Lidia Bastianich’s “Lidia Celebrates America: Changemakers.”

“Relish” was recognized in the lifestyle visual media category, which “honors excellence in food-centric talk shows and lifestyle programs that explore food or beverage alongside broader societal and cultural themes.”

Brittany Shrimpton and Amy Melin launched “Relish” in 2019 to highlight the global influences of Minnesota cuisine. The show began as quick five-minute episodes that streamed online to its current format, full 30-minute episodes airing on TPT’s traditional television station as well as online.

Claire Kelloway of Minneapolis was among a team of writers from Food & Environment Reporting Network and Mother Jones who won in the columns and newsletter category. Kelloway, along with Teresa Cotsirilos and Bridget Huber, wrote a series of articles on the farm bill; Kelloway’s was titled The Farm Bill Hall of Shame: The maddening history of today’s agriculture policy fights.

And Eden Prairie chef and entrepreneur Amelia Moreno-Damgaard was featured in National Geographic Channel’s “World Eats Bread,” which won the docuseries visual media category. Moreno-Damgaard’s episode was “Tortillas in Guatemala” and can be seen on Disney+.

For a complete list of winners, go to jamesbeard.org.