Best of KC 2024: Yet another year of James Beard Award nominations are a siren song to foodies across America
Dumplings at Chewology // Photo by Pilsen Photo Co-op
Earlier this month, we published The Pitch’s annual Best of Kansas City issue. You can take a peek at the results of the readers’ poll here. The issue also included a list, compiled and written by our editorial staff, of some local people, places, and things that we thought clearly won 2024. We’ll be publishing these items online throughout November.
The rest of the country is paying a little more attention to us beyond sports and Taylor Swift. Foodies far and wide are realizing that we don’t eat barbeque for every meal. This year, seven semi-finalists representing the Kansas City metro were named for the James Beard Awards.
The best of the best includes Jeff Workman of The Campground, who was nominated for Emerging Chef. We profiled Workman and his journey from troublemaker to top chef in our October issue after his move to Tailleur.
Kill Bill cocktail at Drastic Measures // Photo by Jay Sanders
The modern German restaurant Affäre was nominated for Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program, and Shawnee’s Drastic Measures for Outstanding Bar. Semi-finalists for Best Chefs by Region (Midwest) included Johnny Leach of The Town Company, Katie Liu-Sung of Chewology, Romain Monnoyeur of Westport Cafe, and Rozz Petrozz of Saltwell Farm Kitchen.
KC did not clinch any first-place victories this year, but we’re as proud as ever of the talent and care behind the eateries in our city. These seven nominees are an incomplete but fabulous microcosm of the variety that makes up KC’s culture. Like the dinner table, this issue is a place for gathering and reflection of the last year. It is with excitement, gratitude, and grit that we look ahead to 2025.
