Two Milwaukee Chefs Advance as James Beard Finalists
Dan Van Rite and Dan Jacobs are finalists for Best Chef: Midwest.
Dan Jacobs (left) and Dan Van Rite. © 2017 Galdones Photography
And then there were two.
The James Beard Foundation on Wednesday announced the nominees for its 2024 Restaurant and Chef Awards, and a pair of Milwaukee chefs made the cut.
The trimmed-down list features 114 finalists, a drop from the more than 300 semifinalists named in January.
Dan Van Rite and Dan Jacobs advanced from a pool of six local chefs who received nominations across two categories this year. The longtime business partners are co-owners of DanDan, a Chinese-American restaurant, and EsterEv, a chef’s table concept.
They’re also perennial players at the awards, having claimed a combined seven semi-finalist slots since 2018.
The foundation recognized four additional Milwaukee chefs as semifinalists this year. That includes Gregory León of Amilinda, who was a semifinalist for Outstanding Chef, as well as Ross Bachhuber and Samuel Ek of Odd Duck and Kyle Knall of Birch — all of whom were semifinalists for Best Chef: Midwest.
It’s been a big year for Jacobs and Van Rite, who are working to open a standalone location for EsterEv in Bay View while continuing operations at DanDan in the Historic Third Ward.
Jacobs is also representing Milwaukee on the national stage as a contestant on season 21 of “Top Chef.” Those who are unfamiliar with the chef’s work can get a weekly taste by tuning in to weekly episodes of the show, which air Wednesdays on Bravo at 8 p.m. Episodes are also available to stream the following day on Peacock and Bravo TV.
Wednesday’s announcement also included a list of honorees for the foundation’s Leadership Awards, Humanitarian of the Year Award, and Lifetime Achievement Award.
A full list of finalists is available to view online.
Winners will be announced at the 33rd Annual James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards ceremony on June 10 at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.
The awards ceremony will be livestreamed on Eater.
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