Bûcheron named finalist for James Beard's best new restaurant
Bûcheron is one of 10 finalists vying for a James Beard Award for best new restaurant.
The big picture: The buzzy French-American establishment, which Demi's longtime chef de cuisine Adam Ritters launched in 2024, joins four other Twin Cities restaurants and chefs still in the running for the nation's top annual food awards.
Bar Brava made the finals for outstanding wine program, the foundation behind the awards announced Wednesday.
Plus: Myriel's Karyn Tomlinson, Diane Moua of Diane's Place and Kado no Mise 's Shigeyuki Furukawa are in the running for the best chef in the Midwest.
Zoom out: U.S. Rep. Angie Craig is a nominee for the James Beard Foundation's new Impact Award, which honors people or organizations "who are actively working to push for standards that create a more equitable, sustainable, and economically viable restaurant industry and food system for producers, workers, and consumers alike."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Atlantic
40 minutes ago
- Atlantic
What Victor Hugo Would Make of Trump
On February 7, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts suffered a presidential coup. Donald Trump filled its board of trustees with loyalists and declared himself its 'amazing Chairman.' On June 11, he is set to celebrate the dawn of what he has called a 'Golden Age in Arts and Culture' by attending a Kennedy Center performance of one of his favorite musicals, the globally popular adaptation of Victor Hugo's epic novel Les Misérables. Several cast members plan to boycott the opening. Perhaps they find it strange or even disconcerting that Trump is a big fan of Les Mis. Having declared of his Kennedy Center, 'It's not going to be woke,' why would he enjoy a tale in which the official victimization of society's underdogs is contrasted with the civilizing power of love, charity, and forgiveness? The term misérables can translate roughly to 'the wretched,' 'the dirt poor,' or even 'the scum of the Earth.' The frequent Trump epithet losers would be a suitably pejorative modern equivalent. This despised underclass is pitted against a punitive regime that honors bullies, sycophants, and plutocrats. They are not the sort of people who might expect compassion and understanding from the current administration. I find the gaudy, mass-market musical's appeal to Trump ironic but not surprising. Since it premiered on London's West End in 1985, the show, with its rousing anthems and its tear-jerking tale of victory over oppression, has thrilled more than 100 million people. We know that Trump has a weakness for bombastic 1980s musicals, and Les Mis is certainly that. Having spent four years writing a biography of Hugo, I can't help but find it a sweetened, antiseptic version of his weird, digressive underworld of moral and literal sewers. The original book would surely bamboozle and exasperate Trump if he ever undertook the journey through its 1,500 pages. The author himself wouldn't seem to hold much appeal for the leader of the MAGA movement. The president mentioned Hugo in 2018 at a White House dinner for Emmanuel Macron and the French delegation: 'This is the divine flame, which Victor Hugo wrote that 'evil can never wholly extinguish,' and which 'good can make to glow with splendor.'' Trump was referring to the shared military glories of France and the United States from the American Revolution through the Second World War. In fact, the words were taken from a description of the central character of Les Misérables, destitute following his conviction for stealing a loaf of bread to feed his sister's starving children. The narrator wonders whether Jean Valjean's soul has been destroyed, or whether an immortal 'spark' (not 'flame') has survived his dehumanization by a vindictive justice system. When Les Misérables was published in 1862, Hugo was an outcast. The founder of two distinct periods of Romanticism, he was the world's most famous living writer and an international symbol of freedom and democracy. By then, at the age of 60, he had spent 10 years in exile after opposing the coup d'état led by Napoleon Bonaparte's nephew, Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte, the self-crowned emperor of France who reigned as Napoleon III from 1852 to 1870. Hugo, as a refugee in the Channel Islands, was an embarrassment to the British government. The intelligence services of France and the United Kingdom considered him a socialist menace. Spies reported his dealings with suspected immigrant terrorists. His diatribe against ' Napoléon le Petit ' was smuggled across the English Channel in walking sticks, sardine tins, and women's underwear. Miniature copies were concealed in souvenir plaster busts of Napoleon III. The exiled poet was criticized for his arrogant attempts to influence British and American foreign policy. He was mocked for his poor English and his wild appearance, as he recalled in his notebooks: 'To the English, I am shoking, excentric and improper '; 'I oppose the death penalty, which is not respectable'; 'I am an exile, which is repellent, and on the losing side, which is infamous.' I would venture to say that Hugo would not be made welcome in the Oval Office today: 'I look like a workman,' he wrote, and 'I fail to wear my tie in the correct fashion.' Les Misérables is one of the last universally read masterpieces in Western literature. In its own day, it was as popular as its musical adaptation would be in the next century. In France, it was bought even by people who had never learned to read. It was devoured by soldiers in the trenches of the American Civil War. Like all great works of art, it has a mind and momentum of its own. This ostensibly simple tale contains labyrinthine complexities and contradictions. Hugo had been a monarchist in his youth and then became a moderate liberal. At the time of the 1832 revolt, which takes up almost one-fifth of Les Misérables, he was a property-owning family man firmly opposed to violent protest. 'We should not allow barbarians to bespatter our flag with red,' he wrote in his diary. The barricade at the heart of the novel and the musical is actually a scene from the savagely repressed uprising of June 1848. Hugo had just been elected to the National Assembly as a right-wing moderate. When the rioting broke out, he fought with the forces of law and order against the insurgents, whom he considered innocent but misguided. These were the starving unemployed of the Paris slums, the malodorous and degraded masses that polite society called ' les misérables.' He took prisoners and was directly responsible for deaths and deportations. Tormented over his culpability, he had a crise de conscience and joined the socialist opposition to the dictatorship of Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte. Hugo became the mascot and inspiration of liberation movements in Greece and Italy and throughout Central and South America, so it is fitting that the musical's opening and concluding song, 'Do You Hear the People Sing?' has been chanted in this century by antigovernment protesters in China, Sri Lanka, the Philippines, and Belarus. Less obviously appropriate is the adoption of Les Mis by Trump and the MAGA movement. No artistic genre is the exclusive property of one faction. As the Trump administration demonstrates, forms of moral discourse evolved by left-wing thinkers can serve the purposes of right-wing ideologues. The novel and the musical both have roots in popular 19th-century entertainment—vaudevilles, comic operas, and newspaper serials. Both were sneered at by middle-class reviewers and adored by the public. The MAGA reading of Les Misérables is just the latest example of its populist appeal. It also typifies the volatile nature of political buzzwords. Misérables was an insult that French insurgents picked up and brandished as a banner. By the same process, after Hillary Clinton called Trump's supporters 'deplorables' during the 2016 election campaign, her dismissive term inspired the digital backdrop of a Trump rally in Miami: Under the words les deplorables, a doctored image from the musical showed a crowd storming a barricade, waving the French Tricolor and the Stars and Stripes. That evening, the crowd sang a MAGA version of 'Do You Hear the People Sing?' In 2025, the U.S. Army Chorus sang this appropriated anthem of popular revolt at the White House Governors Ball. Hugo would likely have been repelled and fascinated by Trump's demagoguery, his rambling mendacity, his grammatically illogical but easy-to-follow oratory. The writer might have been reminded of Napoleon III, who hovers in the background of the novel as a sinister, clownish figure. Two significant differences are that Napoleon III had a long-standing interest in justice, and that he was never envious of Hugo's fame. After granting him and his fellow outcasts amnesty in 1859, Napoleon III lamented the great man's decision to remain in exile. In 1862, he allowed Les Misérables to be advertised and sold in France, leading his government to review its penal and industrial legislation and to concern itself with the exploitation of women and orphans, as well as the education of the poor. Trump's attacks on universities, the arts, and free expression increase the likelihood that any future American equivalent of Les Misérables will also have to be written in exile. But none of this knotty history need spoil Chairman Trump's triumph when he sits in the royal box at the Kennedy Center and hears the people sing for his pleasure.
Business Upturn
4 hours ago
- Business Upturn
Love Island UK Season 12: 10 surprising facts you didn't know about host Maya Jama
Love Island UK Season 12 is set to heat up screens with its premiere on ITV2 and ITVX on June 9, 2025, and streaming on Hulu in the U.S. starting June 12. At the heart of the drama is the charismatic host, Maya Jama, who's been steering the villa's romantic chaos since 2023. Known for her vibrant energy and stunning looks, Maya has become a fan favorite. But there's more to her than meets the eye! Here are 10 surprising facts about Maya Jama that will make you love her even more. 1. Maya Jama Was Named After a Legendary Poet Maya's unique name comes from the iconic American poet and civil rights activist Maya Angelou. Her mother, Sadie, who was just 18 when she gave birth, was inspired by Angelou's work, particularly I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings , during her pregnancy. This meaningful namesake reflects Maya's vibrant and expressive personality. 2. She's of Somali and Swedish Descent Born in Bristol, England, on August 14, 1994, Maya is of mixed heritage. Her father is Somali, and her mother is of Swedish and Scottish descent, making her a trailblazer as the first non-white host of Love Island UK . She's spoken about the significance of this milestone, hoping it opens doors for others from similar backgrounds. 3. A Tough Childhood Shaped Her Resilience Maya's early life wasn't easy. Her father was in and out of prison for violent offenses, leading her to cut ties with him at age 12. She explored this challenging upbringing in a 2017 TV documentary, reflecting on how a supportive environment helped her thrive despite the hardships. 4. She Started Her Career as a Teen Maya kicked off her media journey as a teenager, hosting a weekly music video countdown on After moving to London at 16 to pursue her dreams, she hustled her way through the industry, often surviving on £1 chicken-shop meals. Her grit paid off as she landed roles with MTV and Sky UK. 5. Acting Was Her First Ambition Before becoming a TV presenter, Maya dreamed of being an actress. She auditioned for the teen drama Skins at 15, confidently telling friends she'd be famous—only to miss out on the role. Recently, she's revisiting this passion, landing a role in Netflix's The Gentlemen Season 2, playing a glamorous wife in Guy Ritchie's gritty drama. 6. She's a Fashion and Beauty Icon Maya's style is a major draw for fans. She's modeled for brands like Adidas, Maybelline, and Dolce & Gabbana, and even replaced Kate Moss in a multi-million-pound Rimmel deal. On Instagram, with over 3.2 million followers, she shares skincare and haircare tips, including how to keep hair healthy while wearing wigs. 7. High-Profile Romances Kept Her in the Headlines Maya's love life has sparked plenty of tabloid buzz. She dated British rapper Stormzy from 2014 to 2019, briefly rekindled their romance in 2023, and split again in 2024. She was also engaged to NBA star Ben Simmons in 2021, but the couple parted ways due to busy schedules. Despite rumors linking her to Leonardo DiCaprio, she denied any romance. 8. She's a Football Fanatic A passionate football supporter, Maya cheers for both Bristol Rovers and West Ham United. In 2024, she was announced as a manager for one of the 12 teams in the Baller League UK, a six-a-side football league, showcasing her love for the sport. 9. Maya Hosted the BRIT Awards and Joined The Masked Singer Beyond Love Island , Maya's hosting gigs are impressive. She co-hosted the 2024 BRIT Awards with Clara Amfo and Roman Kemp and joined The Masked Singer UK panel in 2025, replacing Rita Ora. Her bubbly personality and sharp wit make her a natural fit for these high-profile roles. 10. She's Promised 'More Twists Than Ever' for Season 12 Maya is hyping up Love Island UK Season 12 as a game-changer. In the trailer, she demands 'more drama, more bombshells, more break-ups, more make-ups,' and teases the first-ever American bombshell entering the villa. With the show celebrating its 10th anniversary, expect a summer of surprises under her watch.
Business Wire
5 hours ago
- Business Wire
Xilam Group Heads Back to Annecy Festival with Growing Film and Series Slate
PARIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Regulatory News: Xilam Animation (Paris:XIL), Academy Award ® -nominated French animation studio, is returning to Annecy International Animation Film Festival – taking place on 8 th - 14 th June 2025 – with a wave of activity across its latest features and series. Upcoming ambitious family feature Lucy Lost is part of Annecy's official 'Work In Progress' sessions, which offer first looks at features and series in production, with Xilam's Founder and CEO Marc du Pontavice participating alongside key creatives including director and co-writer Olivier Clert (Klaus, Little Prince). Xilam is also showcasing new original titles across its burgeoning slate during the festival, including Submarine Jim, Piggy Builders and Turbo Twins. Xilam's raft of Annecy activity follows the recently announced partnership with commercial French broadcaster TF1 to develop Turbo Twins, a new comedy action CG animation series for kids aged 6-10 years old. Marc du Pontavice, Founder and CEO at Xilam Animation, said: ' As we return to one of the key events in our calendar, our line-up for Annecy once again offers something for everyone in the family – from epic film adventures to vibrant comedy series. We look forward to unveiling a first glimpse into our moving and powerful film Lucy Lost, and to also presenting our diverse slate of new kids' series, which blends both original ideas as well as beloved IPs. Our flourishing development and production pipeline is testament to the leading creativity of our talent, and also to the strength of our relationships with key European broadcasters, such as France Télévisions, TF1, BBC, Super RTL and ZDF. ' Full details of Xilam's activity in Annecy includes: LUCY LOST >> Work-In Progress Session, 2:30pm on Tuesday 10 th June (Salle Pierre Lamy) Upcoming epic family feature film Lucy Lost, based on award-winning author and previous British Children's Laureate Michael Morpurgo's 2014 novel Listen to the Moon, is screening as part of Annecy's Work In Progress sessions with an exclusive first look at the film. Produced by Xilam Films, the session will bring together creatives including Marc du Pontavice, CEO and Founder at Xilam, director Olivier Clert, artistic director Joyse Colson, first assistant Lucie Giros and Head of Posing Juliette Laurent. Goodfellas Animation is handling international sales, with Le Pacte distributing the feature theatrically in France and French broadcasters Canal+ and Cine+ have the pay-TV rights Synopsis: Despite her family's love and affection, Lucy has always felt like an outsider. Her extraordinary gifts and striking white hair set her apart, stirring hostility and distrust in her village. With the help of Milly – a little girl only she can see – Lucy embarks on a daring adventure to unravel the mystery of her powers and finally find where she belongs. SUBMARINE JIM >> First Episodes Now Available Xilam is bringing new adventure comedy Submarine Jim to Annecy, with the first episodes of the 2D animated series now available to view. European broadcasters France Télévisions (France) and Super RTL (France) are already on board the series, which delves into the tale of a naive, young dolphin named Jim, who when tasked with steering the world's first-ever submarine on wheels, leads a motley crew of underwater friends on a whirlwind journey across land and sea. PIGGY BUILDERS >> Premiering in Upcoming Trimester Originally commissioned by France Télévisions (France), BBC (UK) and ZDF (Germany), Piggy Builders follows Cornelia, Cesar and Charlie, charismatic siblings with curly tails, as they embark on their passion for construction, every day. They share a deep love for building, problem solving and their wonderful community in Fine Forest. There's one more thing they have in common: they all have a lot to learn about working together. When they manage to work as a team, the impossible becomes possible! The series is set to be completed by the end of the year, with its premiere set for the upcoming trimester. TURBO TWINS >> Development Agreement with TF1 Xilam has recently inked a partnership with commercial French broadcaster TF1 to develop new comedy action CG animation series Turbo Twins. First pitched by Xilam Group at Cartoon Forum 2022, the series is aimed at kids aged 6-10 years old and will air in TF1's leading children's slot TFOU. The series is set in Karston Speedway Summer Camp – the ultimate summer showdown for the fastest K.A.R. racers. The stakes have never been higher: for the winners, it's a place at the Nationals. For the losers, it's elimination and they go home with nothing. But for our incredible teen duo, the Turbo Twins, losing is clearly not an option. And when high-octane racing meets summer camp life, buckle up! Think workouts that turn into laugh-offs; home-made contraptions and tactics that run out of control, and rivalries that burn just as hot in the canteen as they do on the tarmac – it's never going to be an easy ride! About Xilam A major player in animation, Xilam is an integrated studio founded in 1999 that creates, produces and distributes original programmes in more than 190 countries for both children and adult audiences. Xilam content is broadcast on television, and is also available on SVoD platforms including Netflix, Disney+, Amazon and AVoD streaming platforms including YouTube and Facebook. With its creativity and capacity for innovation recognised worldwide, its unique expertise in CGI, as well as editorial and commercial expertise at the cutting edge of its industry, Xilam is positioned as a key player of the market. Each year, Xilam builds real successes and capitalises on its powerful historical brands including Oggy and the Cockroaches, Zig & Sharko and Chicky, as well as new properties such as Oggy Oggy for a preschool audience, Mr Magoo and Karate Sheep, and Academy Award ® nominated adult feature film I Lost My Body. Additionally, Xilam is serving as the animation studio for Zack Snyder's animated series Twilight of the Gods, launched worldwide on 19 September 2024 by Netflix, and also produces Chip 'n' Dale: Park Life, alongside the forthcoming horror comedy The Doomies, for Disney+. Xilam's expanding and strong catalogue now consists of over 2,800 episodes and three feature films. Xilam employs more than 400 individuals, across its studios in Paris, Angoulême in France and Ho Chi Minh in Vietnam. Xilam was ranked France's leading animation studio for the 2018-2023 period in a report by the French National Centre for Cinema and Animation (CNC). Xilam is listed on Euronext Paris Compartment C - PEA - SRD long Eligibility. ISIN: FR0004034072, Symbol: XIL
