 |
| Chef Ann Kim, left, and Chef Jamie Malone from Schwan's Chef Collective are each James Beard finalists for the title of "Best Chef in the Midwest." |
Schwan’s Chef Collective members named as ‘Best Chef in the Midwest’ finalists
April 2, 2019 — Recently, the James Beard Foundation announced its restaurant and chef awards finalists for 2019. Making the cut are Schwan’s Chef Collective members Ann Kim and Jamie Malone, who are nominated for the coveted title of “Best Chef in the Midwest.” Finalists were determined after a vote by judges and committee members.
READ: Click here to see the article announcing all finalists.
The James Beard Awards honor culinary and operational excellence in food service in national categories such as Outstanding Bar Program and Outstanding Restaurateur, as well as 10 regional categories for Best Chef. The James Beard Awards Gala, where winners are announced, is scheduled May 6, in Chicago.
About Chef Ann Kim
Kim attributes helping her mother cook Korean dishes growing up, along with eating a multitude of New York pizza while studying at Columbia University, to her career as the owner and executive chef of Young Joni and her other two restaurants — Pizzeria Lola and Hello Pizza.
By late 2010, Ann’s artisan wood-fired pizzeria in Minneapolis, Pizzeria Lola, gained national attention by New York Post, USA Today, Food & Wine’s list as one of the best pizza places in the U.S., and was featured on the Food Network’s “Diner Drive-Ins and Dives.”
Other highlights and awards of Ann include:
- Pizzeria Lola was named “2014 Independent Pizzeria of the Year” by Pizza Today.
- She was named the “2014 Emerging Woman Business Owner of the Year” by the National Association of Women Business Owners.
- Pizzeria Lola was named to the “Top 20 Best Pizzerias in the World” by Daniel Young, author of Where to Eat.
About Chef Jamie Malone
Since childhood, Malone’s life has revolved around food. She grew up cooking and baking with her dad in St. Paul, Minnesota, and after graduating from Le Cordon Bleu, began her career working for Chef Tim Mckee. In 2011, Jamie became a chef at Sea Change in Minneapolis where she earned national attention and a place as a semifinalist for James Beard Award Foundation’s “Rising Star Chef” in 2013. She was also a semifinalist for Food & Wine’s “Best New Chef” category in 2013.
Today, Malone is leading culinary efforts at Grand Café in Minneapolis. In 2018, Grand Café was named one of the best restaurants in the U.S. by Food & Wine magazine. And, her Paris-Brest dish was named “Dish of the Year.”
