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Several New Mexicans have been named 2025 James Beard Award semifinalists for dishing up excellence in food and drink.

The 2025 Restaurant and Chef Award semifinalists are recognized across 25 categories. New Mexicans made the lists for Best Chef: Southwest (Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, Oklahoma), Outstanding Bakery, Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program, and Outstanding Professional in Cocktail Service.

Five New Mexico chefs made the Best Chef: Southwest nominee list.

The nomination took Kattia Rojas, chef and owner of Buen Provecho in sa国际传媒官网网页入口, by surprise. Buen Provecho is known for its Costa Rican and Latin American cuisine and desserts.

鈥淚t was totally unexpected and I was in shock,鈥� she said. 鈥�... I am so proud, not of myself, but of my team. What I consider a simple food, I am always trying to present it in a beautiful way. For me, it is great that people recognize that and it鈥檚 been great that I have been leaving a mark.鈥�

Sean Sinclair, who is the head chef of Level 5 at Hotel Chaco in sa国际传媒官网网页入口, said he is thankful to his staff and the James Beard Foundation for the honor. Sinclair joined Level 5 in June 2024. Previous to that, he led culinary teams for The Clyde Hotel and the Inn and Spa at Loretto in Santa Fe.

鈥淚鈥檓 so grateful to be included in this year鈥檚 James Beard nominees,鈥� he said. 鈥淥ur team is so hard working at Level 5 and their commitment to excellence is unparalleled. A head chef is nothing without the support of a solid brigade.鈥�

Chef Fernando Ruiz opened his restaurant Escondido in August 2024, in Santa Fe. Ruiz is a three-time Food Network champion, winning 鈥淏eat Bobby Flay,鈥� 鈥淕uy鈥檚 Grocery Games鈥� and 鈥淐hopped.鈥�

鈥淣ever would I have imagined that I would ever be on that list,鈥� Ruiz said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 very humbling.鈥�

Chef Joseph Wrede, owner of Joseph鈥檚 Culinary Pub in Santa Fe, was honored by the recognition. Wrede was recognized as Best New Chef by Food & Wine, has received several AAA Four Diamond and Distinguished Restaurants of North America awards, and has received both Wine Spectator and Wine Enthusiast distinctions, according to his bio on the restaurant鈥檚 website.

鈥淔or me, as (a) chef, it validates intention and effort on a cold winter鈥檚 day,鈥� he said.

Cristian Pontiggia, executive chef at Sassella in Santa Fe, said it is a 鈥渞eally good feeling鈥� to be named a semifinalist. Pontiggia has worked at two Michelin Star awarded restaurants in Europe and has received awards for cooking and wine knowledge from the Cha卯ne des R么tisseurs, according to the restaurant鈥檚 website. He credits his work with Cooking with Kids for being named a semifinalist. As part of the program, chefs visit public schools and teach students how to cook.

鈥淚t is about the food and what we do with the community,鈥� Pontiggia said. 鈥淚 think it is a combination of what a chef (does) for the community with his food. It is a combination of the cooking skills and the presence of the community around you.鈥�

This year, the James Beard Awards celebrates its 35th anniversary. In celebration of the anniversary and in recognition of the evolving independent restaurant landscape, the 2025 Restaurant and Chef Awards have expanded with a focus on beverages. Three new categories were introduced this year: Best New Bar, Outstanding Professional in Beverage Service, and Outstanding Professional in Cocktail Service.

Kate Gerwin, an award-winning bartender and co-owner of Happy Accidents in sa国际传媒官网网页入口, was named a semifinalist in the Outstanding Professional in Cocktail Service category.

鈥淗onestly, it really hasn鈥檛 sunk in yet,鈥� she said.

鈥淚 am grateful sa国际传媒官网网页入口 continues to get some much earned recognition as players in the game. We continue to make waves out here in the desert.鈥�

sa国际传媒官网网页入口鈥檚 Coda Bakery is a semifinalist in the Outstanding Bakery category, and Campo at Los Poblanos Historic Inn and Organic Farm in Los Ranchos de sa国际传媒官网网页入口 is a semifinalist in the Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program.

鈥淥ur whole team has worked tirelessly over the past decade to create a beverage program we are incredibly proud of,鈥� said Dylan Storment, Campo鈥檚 director of wine. 鈥淲e鈥檙e very thankful to the James Beard Foundation that they鈥檝e chosen us to be in the running for this prestigious honor and humbled to be in this category with so many amazing individuals and businesses, both locally and around the country.鈥�

The James Beard Awards are among the nation鈥檚 most prestigious honors, according to the James Beard Foundation website. Final nominees will be announced April 2, and winners will be announced at the James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards ceremony on June 16 at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.

Yes chef!: Find out who's dishing up excellence in New Mexico as a 2025 James Beard Award semifinalists

Rozanna M. Martinez is the arts and entertainment editor of the sa国际传媒官网网页入口. You can reach her at rmartinez@abqjournal.com.