SAN ANTONIO – One San Antonio chef made it to the finals of the prestigious James Beard Awards.
Steven McHugh, of Cured at the Pearl, was named a nominee of Best Chef: Texas on Wednesday.
It’s an honor for any chef or restaurant to be included as the James Beard Foundation’s Restaurant and Chef Awards recognizes exceptional talent and achievement in culinary arts.
“We are both honored and thrilled to announce our nomination for the 2022 @beardfoundation awards for Best Chef: Texas,” the restaurant posted on social media.
“A huge congratulations to our entire Team at Cured, and thank you to The James Beard Foundation for this tremendous honor. We are SA proud.”
The nominees for that category also include:
- Tiffany Derry, Roots Southern Table, Farmers Branch
- Christine Ha and Tony J. Nguyen, Xin Chào, Houston
- Quy Hoang, Blood Bros. BBQ, Bellaire
Roots Southern Table was also listed as a nominee for Best New Restaurant.
The 2022 James Beard Award winners will be celebrated during a ceremony on June 13 in Chicago.
While McHugh was the only local chef to land in the finals, four others were listed as semifinalists last month.
That included Esaul Ramos Jr. of 2M Smokehouse, John Russ of Clementine and Ernest Servantes and David Kirkland of Burnt Bean Co. in Seguin.
Here is the list of all of the local semifinalists:
- Outstanding Restaurant: Mixtli
- Outstanding Pastry Chef: Sofia Tejada, Mixtli
- Outstanding Baker: David Cáceres, La Panadería
- Outstanding Wine Program: High Street Wine Company
- Best Chef (Texas): Steven McHugh, Cured; Esaul Ramos Jr., 2M Smokehouse; John Russ, Clementine; Ernest Servantes and David Kirkland, Burnt Bean Co. in Seguin
In addition to the Restaurant and Chef Awards, the James Beard Foundation also has awards in the following categories: leadership, lifetime achievement, humanitarian of the year and media.
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