Chef Vinnie Cimino has moved on from the semi-finalist to finalist round of the 2026 James Beard Foundation’s Awards in the “Best Chef: Great Lakes” category, which spans Ohio, Michigan, Indiana and Illinois.
Winners will be announced at the annual gala and awards ceremony in Chicago on June 15.
Cleveland has not had a James Beard Award winner in the Restaurant and Chef categories since Jonathon Sawyer in 2015. In 2009, Michael Symon became the first Cleveland chef to snag a James Beard Award. In 2022, Jeremy Umansky won in the media category for the book “Koji Alchemy: Rediscovering the Magic of Mold-Based Fermentation,” which he co-authored with Rick Shih.
Last year, Brandon Chrostowski, founder and CEO of EDWINS Leadership & Restaurant Institute, received a 2025 James Beard Foundation Impact Award, a new honor that recognized his efforts to create a more equitable and inclusive culinary landscape.
Mallorca, the longtime classic in the Warehouse District, was a semi-finalist in the Outstanding Hospitality category, but will not move on to the next round.
For owner Laurie Torres, the nod and recognition was plenty. When Scene visited the Spanish restaurant earlier this year, she said: “I don’t anticipate or expect it to go any further; this is a blessing in and of itself.”
Subscribe to CLE Bites, Doug Trattner’s weekly food newsletter.
Follow us: Google News | NewsBreak | Reddit | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter
