Boulder's Frasca wins James Beard award for Outstanding Restaurant
Boulder's beloved dining room at Frasca Food and Wine was crowned a winner at the 2025 James Beard Awards, earning the Outstanding Restaurant honor at Monday's ceremony in Chicago.
The big picture: Although the upscale Italian eatery has previously been recognized by the Beard Foundation, this is the Pearl Street restaurant's first time as a finalist in this category and pushes the city's culinary scene further into the national spotlight.
Catch up quick: The Outstanding Restaurant category is among the James Beard Foundation's highest honors, recognizing restaurants that deliver consistent excellence.
Flashback: The James Beard Awards announced their 2025 semifinalists in January, with more than a dozen Colorado chefs, bars and restaurants in the running.
Hosea Rosenberg, of Boulder's Blackbelly, was acknowledged as a semifinalist in the Best Chef — Mountain (Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Utah, Wyoming) category.
Zoom out: First nominated in 2016, master sommelier Bobby Stuckey and chef Lachlan Mackinnon-Patterson opened Frasca in 2004.
It has since collected a variety of national nods, including James Beard Awards for Outstanding Wine Program and Outstanding Service, and consecutive Michelin Stars in 2023 and 2024.
State of play: The Frasca Hospitality Group operates several Colorado restaurants, including Pizzeria Alberico, which sits next door to Frasca, and Tavernetta and Sunday Vinyl in Denver.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CBS News
36 minutes ago
- CBS News
James Beard Awards spotlights the only 2025 winner from Massachusetts: Sullivan's Castle Island
The prestigious James Beard Awards held Monday night honored elite chefs at some of the fanciest restaurants in America. But it was a beloved seafood shack selling hot dogs for $3.50 apiece that was recognized as the only 2025 award winner from Massachusetts. Sullivan's Castle Island in South Boston, founded in 1951, won the James Beard Foundation's "America's Classics" award for the northeast region. "Every Bostonian has a story about Sully's—whether from working there after school as a teenager, having their sports team or fundraiser supported by Sully's, taking their children for some crinkle cuts like their grandparents took them, or simply enjoying it as a nostalgic seaside gathering place for locals," the foundation said in a statement. "For transplants and visitors to Boston, going there has become a rite of passage." The honor was actually announced in February, but co-owners Brendan and Adrienne Sullivan appeared on stage in Chicago Monday night to accept their award, and they also were featured in a video montage played at the ceremony. "This is a place where people for generations have been coming to Castle Island, enjoying the atmosphere, and, of course enjoying the food," Brendan Sullivan said. "This James Beard America's Classics Award is not just for the Sullivan family, it's for the entire city of Boston." The pair also highlighted their simple but classic menu of summer favorites, which includes onion rings, clam chowder, lobster rolls and soft serve ice cream. "One of our signature dishes is our double cheeseburger and we've had it since 1951," Brendan Sullivan said. "It tastes like Sully's. It tastes like Castle Island." Adrienne Sullivan said. Sullivan's opened for the season on March 1, and there were lines around the block. Click here for a list of James Beard Award semifinalists from Massachusetts.
Eater
an hour ago
- Eater
Thomas Bille of Belly and the Beast Takes Home James Beard Award for Best Chef: Texas
On June 16, the winners of the 'Oscars of food,' as the James Beard Awards have been called, were announced. From Houston, the sole winner is Thomas Bille at Belly of the Beast in the Best Chef: Texas category. Bille tells deeply personal stories through his cooking, unraveling his family history and formative years living in Los Angeles. The restaurant began as a pop-up in 2018 and later opened as a counter-service restaurant in Old Town Spring in February 2020. COVID impacted the nation the following month, and in 2021 Bille was forced to close Belly of the Beast after a dispute over increased rent with the landlord. It reopened at its current location in 2023. The menu at Belly of the Beast combines his Mexican American heritage, French culinary training, and family memories into dishes that are personal, playful, and genre-defying. Previously, Belly of the Beast earned a Bib Gourmond at the first-ever Texas Michelin Awards ceremony. The 2025 nominees for Houston included Ema for Best New Restaurant; March for Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program; and Emmanuel Chavez at Tatemó in the Best Chef: Texas category. Each year, the James Beard Foundation recognizes restaurants, bars, and hospitality professionals in categories such as Outstanding Restaurant, Best Chef, and Best New Chef. The first James Beard Awards ceremony was held in 1991, when chefs such as Rick Bayless, Nancy Silverton, and Wolfgang Puck emerged as winners. In recent years, the awards have been under increased scrutiny following the cancellation of its programming in 2020 and 2021 due to allegations of misbehavior and abuse against nominated chefs, as well as a lack of nominated and winning Black chefs in the categories. In response, the James Beard Foundation conducted an internal audit to make its voting processes more inclusive and equitable, with plans to return in 2022. In recent years, the awards have shifted the Best Chef category to a regional model to better recognize the diversity and depth of talent. Disclosure: Some Vox Media staff members are part of the voting body for the James Beard Foundation Awards. See More:
Washington Post
2 hours ago
- Washington Post
The young Iranian poet who lost her life in an Israeli strike
She dreamed of seeing the band Coldplay live in concert. She loved trying new foods and was learning Italian. She wrote poetry constantly and shared it with friends and family. She was so proud of having summited Iran's highest peak, Mount Damavand, that she made sure to mention that fact to everyone she met.
