Here Are the 2022 James Beard Award Semifinalists From Oregon

This year’s semifinalists for the James Beard Awards dropped this morning, which — of course — included a number of Oregon-based restaurants and chefs, in categories beyond best chef: Northwest and Pacific.

This will be the first James Beard Awards held since 2019, after the James Beard Foundation examined and altered its structure in response to mounting criticism surrounding bias and a lack of diversity within the nominees and winners. As a result, some of the categories have changed or shifted, and the award ceremony has introduced new categories, like the emerging chef category.

This year’s awards include seven nominees from Portland proper, as well as two nominations from other parts of Oregon: Jonathan Jones, the owner of Salem’s Epilogue Kitchen & Cocktails, made the cut for the best chef: Northwest and Pacific category, and Hiyu Wine Farm in Hood River appears in the outstanding wine program category.

The James Beard Foundation will release the short list of nominees on March 16, 2022, and will name the winners in a Chicago ceremony on June 13, 2022. See the full list of Oregon semifinalists below.

Portland nominees:

Akkapong “Earl” Ninsom — outstanding restaurateur

Thuy Pham, Mama Đút — emerging chef

República, Portland — best new restaurant

Coquine — outstanding hospitality

Carlo Lamagna, Magna Kusina — best chef: Northwest and Pacific

Vince Nguyen, Berlu — best chef: Northwest and Pacific

Thomas Pisha-Duffly, Oma’s Hideaway, Portland — best chef: Northwest and Pacific

Oregon nominees outside Portland:

Jonathan Jones, Epilogue Kitchen & Cocktails, Salem — best chef: Northwest and Pacific

Hiyu Wine Farm, Hood River, OR — outstanding wine program

• Here Are the 2022 James Beard Awards Restaurant and Chef Semifinalists [E]
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• The Mess That Is the 2020 James Beard Awards, Explained [E]
• James Beard Foundation Awards 2022: Winners, News, and Updates [E]

Disclosure: Some Vox Media staff members are part of the voting body for the James Beard Foundation Awards.