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Ten Ohio chefs were named as semifinalists for the 2025 James Beard Award. Among them:
• Chef Douglas Katz is a partner in three restaurants in the Cleveland area: Zhug, which offers Middle Eastern mezze; the India-inspired Amba; and Kiln, which serves family-style, regional classics.
• Dan Riesenberger is an emerging baker semifinalist for Columbus’ aptly named Dan the Baker, famous for his world-renowned sourdough breads.
• Chef David Jackman started Cincinnati’s Wildweed restaurant as a pop-up (actually 225 of them) and now focuses on handmade pastas in creative dishes utilizing wild foraged and local ingredients (plus “a healthy obsession with ice cream”).
– Eve Lederman, The 100 Companies