Brownsville cocktail bar, Mission chef named semifinalists for James Beard Awards

HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — A Brownsville restaurant and a chef from Mission have been announced as semifinalists for the 2024 James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards.

The James Beard Awards honors culinary excellence and is among the nation's most prestigious honor in the culinary industry.

"We are thrilled for the return of the James Beard Awards—recognizing the outstandingly talented leaders making their mark on American food,” said Clare Reichenbach, CEO of the James Beard Foundation.

Semi-finalists from across the United States are divided into 22 different categories ranging from "Outstanding Chef" to "Outstanding Restaurant".

Ana-Liz Taqueria in Mission and Las Ramblas in Brownsville have made their mark as the best of the best in their respective category.

Las Ramblas is one of 20 semi-finalists for Outstanding Bar.

The Brownsville-native craft cocktail bar is the only Texas semi-finalist listed for the Outstanding Bar category.

James Beard Awards recognizes the best outstanding bar as a wine, beer, cocktail or coffee bar that represents "consistent excellence" in curating a selection and in the preparation of drinks with a positive contribution to the community.

Ana-Liz Taqueria has been chosen as a semi-finalist for Best Chef: Texas.

This category represents chefs from all over the state with Ana-Liz Taqueria being the only semi-finalist located in the deep South Texas region.

Both Ana-Liz Taqueria and Las Ramblas were also recognized in last year's Restaurant and Chef Awards.

The ceremony for the Restaurant and Chef Awards will be held Monday, June 10 at The Lyric Opera in Chicago. A livestream for the event will begin at 5:30 p.m. Central Time.