James Beard Award Finalists, Congrats!

Congrats to Steven Brown, Jorge Guzman, Andrew Zimmern—and me!

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The James Beard Award nominations came out today—congrats!

Congrats to Mpls.St.Paul Magazine's own hometown hero Andrew Zimmern, nominated for Outstanding Personality, and we can say he really has one. He was also nominated for Video Webcast—congrats AZ! (If you've never read his guide to the weirdness in his hometown, you should.)

Congrats to the two Minneapolis chefs who are nominated for Best Chef Midwest, Steven Brown who had my best new restaurant of the year St. Genevieve (as well as stellar older sister Tilia) and Jorge Guzman, the chef of the best beer-centered restaurant in the country, Brewer's Table. 

And a hearty congratulations to my own darn self, Dara Moskowitz Grumdahl, in the running for Best Column. If you were a subscriber to Mpls.St.Paul you'd already have enjoyed my now-nominated profiles of a different food- or non-food person every month, so please subscribe! It means so much to me, personally, and to all of us who do this work at our humble magazine. Only $19.95 a year for world-class writing—and so me and my kids and our whole magazine family can have health insurance! Which we love having. And I'm sure you know I love writing about all the folks I get to, which in my nominated trio of 2016 columns includes my profile of State Fair corn roast king Brad Ribar, my profile of Minnesota baking legend Beatrice Ojakangas, and my story late last year of a chef on the edge. I'd like to take this moment to thank everyone at Mpls.St.Paul that makes my work possible, our fearless and visionary leader Jayne Haugen Olson, my editors Chris Clayton, Kelly Kegans, and Rebecca Rowland; my sister in food Steph March, and of course Gary Johnson who brought me in as part of our happy, busy family. 

Thanks to all, congrats to all—and I'll be raising a glass tonight, and thinking of happy times.