Oregon’s 2025 James Beard Award Semifinalists

Oregon nabbed 13 semifinalist slots for the 2025 James Beard Foundation Awards Wednesday, in six categories. Of the national awards, Portland chefs Sarah Minnick of Lovely’s Fifty Fifty and Gabriel Rucker of Le Pigeon made the list for Outstanding Chef, and Coquine got a nod for Outstanding Restaurant. After hitting the short list last year, JinJu Patisserie has once again made the semifinals for Outstanding Bakery. When it comes to beverage, Scotch Lodge is a semifinalist for Outstanding Bar, while Joel Gunderson of Heavenly Creatures will compete in a brand new category, Outstanding Professional in Beverage Service. For Best Chef: Northwest & Pacific, Oregon has a number of contenders, including Portland’s Thomas Pisha-Duffly of Indonesian hotspot Gado Gado and Ryan Roadhouse for his lauded omakase Nodoguro. 

It’s cliché to say at this point, but the James Beard Awards, named for the famous Oregon gourmand, is considered “the Oscars of the food world” and one of the country’s most prestigious culinary award ceremonies. This year marks the 35th anniversary of the JBFA, introducing a new set of beverage award categories: Best New Bar, Outstanding Professional in Beverage Service, and Outstanding Professional in Cocktail Service. 

The 2025 ceremony will take place on June 16, 2025, in Chicago. 

Find the full list of semifinalists below:

National Semifinalists

Outstanding Chef: Sarah Minnick, Lovely’s Fifty Fifty
Outstanding Chef: Gabriel Rucker, Le Pigeon
Outstanding Restaurant: Coquine
Outstanding Bakery: JinJu Patisserie
Outstanding Bar: Scotch Lodge
Outstanding Professional in a Beverage Service: Joel Gunderson, Heavenly Creatures

Regional Semifinalists

Best Chef: Northwest & Pacific: Thomas Pisha-Duffly, Gado Gado 
Best Chef: Northwest & Pacific: Ryan Roadhouse, Nodoguro

Other Oregonian Semifinalists

Best Chef: Northwest & Pacific

• Isaiah Martinez, Yardy Rum Bar, Eugene
• Joshua Dorcak, MÄS, Ashland
• Sarah Schafer, Humble Spirit, McMinnville
• Kari Shaughnessy, Hayward, McMinnville
• Timothy Wastell, Antica Terra, Amity

What’s Next?

Over the next few months, the James Beard Awards will release a list of nominations for other categories, including Media and Achievement Awards. During this time, judges and subcommittee members will visit all the semifinalists and decide who should move on as finalists: five from each category, save Best New Restaurant, which will see 10 nominees. The foundation will announce the finalists on April 2. A second round of visits and voting determines the winners, announced at the June 16 award ceremony in Chicago.