Denver Blog

The James Beard Foundation has just released the semifinalists list for its 2009 restaurant and chef awards. And Frank Bonanno -- of Mizuna, Luca D'Italia and Osteria Marco (and now Bones, which opened at the very end of December) fame -- is one of twenty people up for Outstanding Restaurateur.

No Coloradan made the Outstanding Chef semifinalist list, and there's no Colorado place included on the Outstanding Restaurant list, or for Best New Restaurant.

But Yasmin Lozada-Hissom, of Duo (and Aix's soon-to-be replacement), is included in the Oustanding Pastry Chef lineup. Regionally, in the Best Chef:Southwest category, Colorado's represented by Mark Fischer (Restaurant Six89), Ryan Hardy (Montagna at the Little Nell in Aspen), Kelly Liken (Kelly Liken in Vail) and Alex Seidel of Fruition in Denver.