The James Beard Foundation, the culinary organization known for its awards honoring restaurants and chefs across America, named Andy Schumacher, the chef and co-owner of Cobble Hill in Cedar Rapids, a semifinalist for Best Chef Midwest. The organization also named Simon’s, the Italian restaurant in Des Moines owned by Simon Goheen, a semifinalist for Outstanding Hospitality.
The James Beard Foundation announced its long list of nominees on Wednesday morning. Many in the hospitality industry consider the awards among the highest praise American restaurants and chefs can receive.
Andy Schumacher named a semifinalist for Best Chef Midwest by the James Beard Foundation
This isn’t the first nomination for Schumacher at Cobble Hill in Cedar Rapids. In 2015, he caught the eyes of the James Beard Foundation judges with a Best Chef Midwest nod.
The restaurant offers a contemporary American menu with updates based on the seasonality of ingredients and availability of produce from local farmers in and around Cedar Rapids…