Here's Your Complete Guide to L.A.'s James Beard Award Finalists

Following a month or so of snub talk and hand-wringing over the James Beard Foundation’s early semifinalists nods, the time has come to examine the just-released list of actual finalists.

The information roll-out happened early this morning on the East Coast, meaning some of the West’s best nominees are waking up to news that they could be the year’s big winner in their respective categories. Of course, they won’t actually know until April 24 — for book, broadcast and journalism awards — and May 4 respectively, when the Lyric Opera House in Chicago becomes a cheffed-up who’s who for the night.

Eater has a great overall look at the award nominees, including Eater’s five own nominations, but let’s focus on what matters: Los Angeles. Here’s are this year’s L.A.-based James Beard Award finalist nominations:

Best New Restaurant
Petit Trois, Los Angeles

Outstanding Chef
Suzanne Goin, Lucques, Los Angeles

Outstanding Pastry Chef
Dahlia Narvaez, Osteria Mozza, Los Angeles

Outstanding Wine Program
Spago, Beverly Hills, CA

Rising Star Chef of the Year
Ari Taymor, Alma, Los Angeles

Best Chef: West
Michael Cimarusti, Providence, Los Angeles
Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo, Animal, Los Angeles

There's one other nearby notable, which just landed on this Coachella dining guide:

Outstanding Restaurant Design Awards - 76 Seats and Over
SOMA, Michael Abboud
Workshop Kitchen + Bar, Palm Springs, CA

And one restaurateur nod for Michael Mina, who operates (among many things) Bourbon Steak in Glendale.

Of course, there’s also Guelaguetza, which was previously named as an American Classic by the Foundation. Oh, and a special shout-out to Eater LA contributor Lucas Peterson, who is nominated in the Personal Essay category.