Twin Cities restaurants and chefs that made the Beard Award semifinals

The James Beard Foundation on Wednesday dished out the list of semifinalists for the 2014 Restaurant and Chef Awards  and they include  11 Minnesota restaurants and chefs.

The foundation received close to 40,000 nomination submissions, open to anyone, for the restaurant and chef awards, according to its website . Then critics, writers and editors chose the semifinalists.

Here are the Minnesota semifinalists for the 2014 James Beard Awards:

Outstanding Bar Program

Marvel Bar, Minneapolis

Outstanding Chef

Isaac Becker, 112 Eatery, Minneapolis

Outstanding Pastry Chef

Steve Horton, Rustica Bakery, Minneapolis

Outstanding Service

Restaurant Alma, Minneapolis

Outstanding Wine, Spirits, or Beer Professional

Eric Seed, Haus Alpenz, Edina

Best Chef: Midwest

Paul Berglund, The Bachelor Farmer, Minneapolis

Steven Brown, Tilia, Minneapolis

Doug Flicker, Piccolo, Minneapolis

Michelle Gayer, Salty Tart, Minneapolis

Jamie Malone, Sea Change, Minneapolis

Lenny Russo, Heartland Restaurant & Farm Direct Market, St. Paul

And nominated for Best Chef, just across the border, were Ryan Nitschke and Nick Weinhandl, HoDo Restaurant at the Hotel Donaldson, Fargo, ND.

Foundation representatives will announce final nominations in March. The 2014 James Beard Awards will be held in May in New York City.

Here's what happens next:

“After the semifinalist announcement, this list will move on to a voting body of former Beard Award winners; Restaurant and Chef Award Committee members; and other regional panelists. After these judges cast their votes, the five semifinalists with the highest number of votes in each category become the nominees.”

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