Chris Hoffmann at Clyde's Fine Diner named a semifinalist for a James Beard Foundation Award
The James Beard Foundation, the culinary organization known for its awards honoring restaurants and chefs across America, named Chris Hoffmann, the chef and owner of Clyde’s Fine Diner in the East Village in Des Moines, a semifinalist for Best Chef Midwest.
The organization announced its long list of nominees on Wednesday morning. Many in the hospitality industry consider the awards among the highest praise American restaurants and chefs can receive.
Hoffmann, the only nominee from Iowa, opened Clyde's Fine Diner in 2019. He named the restaurant for his grandfather Clyde on his mother's side. Some of his earliest memories include cooking breakfast with him, he told the Des Moines Register in 2019.
The restaurant offers an elevated take on diner fare. Diners can find steak frites, mushroom ragu, a pork loin chop and fried chicken with a side of Sichuan sauce as entrees, along with the CFD burger, one of the best in the city.
Clyde's Fine Diner is on the essential restaurants list from the Des Moines Register as well.
More: A comprehensive guide to finding James Beard Foundation-nominated chefs, restaurants in Iowa
Who else was nominated for a JBF in the Midwest?
Chefs from 19 other restaurants were nominated in the Midwest, which includes Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, Minnesota and Wisconsin along with Iowa. Other nominees in the Midwest category include:
Sanaa Abourezk, Sanaa’s Gourmet Mediterranean, Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Ann Ahmed, Khâluna, Minneapolis
Ross Bachhuber and Samuel Ek, Odd Duck, Milwaukee
Andrea Baumgardner, BernBaum’s, Fargo, North Dakota
Lisa Carlson and Carrie Summer, Chef Shack Bay City, Bay City, Wisconsin
Rob Connoley, Bulrush, St. Louis
Philip Day, Root Food + Wine, Augusta, Missouri
Kenny Howard and Heath Stocks, Anima Cucina, Bismarck, North Dakota
Dan Jacobs and Dan Van Rite, EsterEv, Milwaukee
Kyle Knall, Birch, Milwaukee
Johnny Leach, The Town Company, Kansas City, Missouri
Katie Liu-Sung, Chewology, Kansas City, Missouri
Romain Monnoyeur, Westport Cafe, Kansas City, Missouri
Loryn Nalic, Balkan Treat Box, Webster Groves, Missouri
Christina Nguyen, Hai Hai, Minneapolis
Tim Nicholson, The Boiler Room, Omaha, Nebraska
Rozz Petrozz, Saltwell Farm Kitchen, Overbrook, Kansas
Sean Pharr, Mint Mark, Madison, Wisconsin
Karyn Tomlinson, Myriel, St. Paul, Minnesota
What happens next with the James Beard Foundation Awards?
Next, the committees within the James Beard Foundation will visit the semifinalist restaurants and decide which will be among the five finalists in each category, announced on April 3.
The foundation announces the winners during a ceremony in Chicago on June 10.
The organization also recognizes members of the media, from journalists and podcasters to cookbooks and TV shows. Those finalist are announced on April 30 and then awarded on June 8.
The America’s Classics winners, an award that honors “locally owned restaurants with timeless appeal,” come out on Feb. 28. This is the only category where Iowa has winners. Archie's Waeside in Le Mars won in 2015 and Breitbach’s Country Dining in Balltown earned its award in 2009. Lagomarcino’s, with locations in Moline, Illinois, and Davenport, won its America’s Classic Award from the James Beard Foundation in 2006.
Where to find Clyde's Fine Diner
Location: 111 E. Grand Ave., Des Moines
Contact: 515-243-3686 or clydesfinediner.com
Hours: Open Thursday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. for lunch and Tuesday through Saturday from 4 to 9 p.m. for dinner.
Susan Stapleton is the entertainment editor at The Des Moines Register. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, or drop her a line at sstapleton@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Chris Hoffmann, Clyde's Fine Diner, get James Beard Foundation Award nod
