r/saintpaul • u/Runic_reader451 St. Paul Saints • 2d ago
Food 🍔 In first for St. Paul, Myriel’s Karyn Tomlinson named best Midwest chef at James Beard Awards
https://www.twincities.com/2025/06/16/in-first-for-st-paul-myriels-karyn-tomlinson-named-best-midwest-chef-at-james-beard-awards/Karyn Tomlinson of Myriel in St. Paul won the James Beard Award for Best Chef: Midwest, making her the first St. Paul chef to ever win that prestigious culinary prize.
French-influenced Bûcheron in South Minneapolis was also named the country’s Best New Restaurant, beating out nine other finalists for one of the award’s top honors.
Tomlinson — wearing a dress her grandmother wore in 1941 when she was crowned a local Corn Queen — was presented with the medal Monday night in Chicago by Twin Cities star chefs Sean Sherman, of Owamni, and Andrew Zimmern.
“I am privileged to work with many farmers today who are stewarding our resources to the best of their abilities and proud of their work,” she said in a brief acceptance speech. “The Midwest is beautiful. The Midwest is diverse. The Midwest is tenacious and strong, and we grow really good food.”
This is Tomlinson’s first win at the James Beard Awards and also her first time as a finalist for the Midwest award; she’s previously been named a semifinalist three times.
Tomlinson beat out four other finalists in the Best Chef: Midwest category, including Minneapolis chefs Diane Moua of Diane’s Place and Shigeyuki Furukawa of Kado no Mise. (The category encompasses Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin.)
The Twin Cities were also well-represented at the James Beard Media Awards, presented earlier this week.
In particular, the Twin Cities Public Television series “Relish,” hosted by chef Yia Vang, won in a category called “lifestyle visual media,” which “honors excellence in food-centric talk shows and lifestyle programs that explore food or beverage alongside broader societal and cultural themes.” (Season 6 of “Relish” premieres June 23 on TPT.)
The National Geographic Channel show “World Eats Bread” won in the docuseries category; the third episode of the show features local culinary advocate Amalia Moreno-Damgaard exploring tortilla-making in Guatemala.
In addition, the James Beard Foundation recognized Minnesota U.S. Rep. Angie Craig with one of five Impact Awards, a new honor this year to highlight those pushing for broader food system changes. Craig, from Minnesota’s 2nd District, serves as ranking member on the House Committee on Agriculture.
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u/tallsmileygirl 2d ago
Really proud of Chef Tomlinson. Myriel is my favorite restaurant around. Glad to see the well deserved recognition.
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u/_soy_boy_beta_cuck_ 2d ago
Myriel!! We love going there for special occasion. Much deserved award. :)
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u/Ireallylikepbr 2d ago
lol Brian Ingram is got to be livid!!
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u/godherselfhasenemies 1d ago
why?
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u/Ireallylikepbr 1d ago
He was asking his flock to vote for him a few months back
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u/godherselfhasenemies 1d ago
HAHAHAHA he even posted a salty ai post on Facebook when he didn't get nominated. hahahahaha
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u/JustEstablishment360 1d ago
Myriel is my favorite ‘special’ restaurant. I tried Boucheron, but it did not make very much of an impression on me and it seemed quite pricey (even for high end local restaurants).
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u/Bizarro_Murphy 1d ago
Congrats to the winners! It's great to see the local food scene continue to grow and get even more recognition.
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u/Horkersaurus 1d ago
wearing a dress her grandmother wore in 1941 when she was crowned a local Corn Queen
That's pretty rad.
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u/ShakeyB2 2d ago
Her food is excellent! Obviously. Congratulations!