Chefs from four Idaho restaurants — two in Boise — nominated for James Beard Awards
Five Idaho chefs have been named semifinalists for the 2025 James Beard Awards.
And, as always, it feels like a huge deal.
Established in 1990, the James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards are often referred to as the Oscars of the culinary universe. Being nominated is potentially a career-altering honor.
Only one Idaho chef has won a James Beard Award: Kris Komori, co-owner of Kin in downtown Boise.
Here are this year’s Gem State nominees — in the regional category of Best Chef: Mountain.
▪ Cal Elliott — The Avery, 1010 W. Main St., Boise
A Boise native who grew up in the City of Trees, Elliott spent almost three decades working in New York City’s dining scene. As an opening chef at now-defunct Dressler in Brooklyn, he helped earn a Michelin Star for the restaurant. Elliott operated his own Williamsburg dining destination, Rye — a Michelin Bib Gourmand pick — for a decade before closing it in 2018 and returning to Idaho. In 2020, Elliott launched Little Pearl Oyster Bar in downtown Boise before opening his own fine-dining restaurant at The Avery Hotel, 1010 Main St., in 2023.
▪ Rémi Courcenet and Nathan Whitley, Terroir, 160 N. 8th St., Boise
Established in 2021 by the culinary duo, Terroir first earned a following with a semi-constant food trailer parked outside Telaya Wine Co. in Garden City. The chefs followed that up with a brick-and-mortar Terroir Bistro last year. A longtime local chef, Whitley was nominated for a James Beard Award in 2015 while working at The Modern Hotel and Bar. Courcenet, who was The Modern’s food and beverage director at the time, had hired Whitley three years earlier.
▪ Salvador Alamilla — Amano, 702 Main St., Caldwell.
Born in Mexico and raised in Santa Ana, California, Alamilla has been named a James Beard semifinalist four years in a row. Since opening Amano in a former bank lobby in 2019 with his wife, Becca, Alamilla has earned a devoted following with reverent, from-scratch Mexican cuisine. In 2023, Amano was named to The New York Times’ third annual “The Restaurant List,” a guide to “the 50 places in the United States that we’re most excited about right now.”
▪ Benjamin Barlow — Stanley Supper Club, 250 Niece Ave, Stanley
Barlow was a first-time nominee last year, along with co-owner and pastry chef Heather Logan. “This time we’re not as blindsided by the announcement but it still feels wild!” they admitted on the restaurant’s Facebook page Wednesday. The duo got their start over a decade ago in the kitchen of a Stanley guest ranch, according to the Supper Club website. Then “time and opportunity took us away from Stanley; we traveled the world and spent years working in Seattle’s fine dining scene.” After returning to Idaho, they opened the Stanley Supper Club. In December, The New York Times named the restaurant’s fried chicken as one of the “26 Best Dishes We Ate Across the U.S. in 2024.”
James Beard semifinalists for the Mountain region are chosen from five states: Idaho, Montana, Colorado, Utah and Wyoming. Nominees come from 20 restaurants.
A pared-down list of five finalists will be revealed April 2. Winners will be crowned June 16 during a ceremony at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.
After his victory in 2023, Kris Komori of Kin hasn’t been named a semifinalist again. That’s by design. No chef can be on the ballot in the same category for five years after winning.
This story was originally published January 22, 2025 at 12:24 PM.