2 Hawaii chefs named finalists for James Beard Foundation Awards

Two Hawaii chefs have been named finalists for the James Beard Foundation Awards.

Sheldon Simeon, of Tin Roof on Maui, and Robynne Maii, of Honolulu’s Fete, have been nominated as the best chef in the Northwest and Pacific, a region that also covers Alaska, Oregon and Washington.

A win would put either chef in the limited company of chefs Roy Yama­guchi, Alan Wong and George Mavrothalassitis. The last Hawaii chef to claim a James Beard trophy was Mavrothalassitis, in 2003.

Tuesday’s nominations followed a time of turmoil for the foundation. The awards process was canceled for two years in 2020, under fire for a lack of diversity in the nominees and the inclusion of chefs facing allegations of personal or professional misbehavior. The foundation said it would reevaluate its program.

The 2022 awards will be announced at a gala on June 13 in Chicago.

Also nominated in the Northwest/Pacific category are Portland, Ore., chefs Carlo Lamagna of Magna Kusina and Thomas Pisha-Duffly of Oma’s Hideaway, plus Mutsuko Soma of Kamonegi in Seattle, Wa.

For a full list of nominees, go to jamesbeard.org.