Awards season has arrived.

For most people, that probably means looking out for nominations for Golden Globes, Grammys and Oscars, but in the world of food and dining, it begins with the drop of the long list of the James Beard Foundation Awards Semifinalists.

The list highlights the best across the country in categories ranging from hospitality to outstanding chef and beyond.

As in years past, Oklahoma continues to show up with strong numbers on the foundation’s long list, marking continued growth in the state’s culinary scene.

This year, Oklahoma has eight semifinalists — seven from Oklahoma City and one from Tulsa — spread across four categories.

See the entire nationwide list: Meet the James Beard Foundation chef, restaurant semifinalists in 2026

These are the 2026 James Beard Foundation Awards Semifinalists for Oklahoma.

Best Chef: Southwest

Jeff Chanchaleune returns to the James Beard Foundation Awards long list for 2026 this time for Bar Sen, 1630 N Blackwelder Ave. Having previously been named a semifinalist for both Gun Izakaya and Ma Der and a two-time finalist for Ma Der, Chanchaleune is no stranger to the Beard Awards list.

“I’m relieved that we made the long list, but it’s not over yet. We still have two more rounds. We still have to make top five. We have to make it to Chicago, and hopefully we can bring it back finally,” Chanchaleune said. “Staff meeting’s like ‘We made it, but it’s not over. If you guys want this, we all got to work together.’”

Brian Momanyi and Stayce Momanyi of Plus254, 119 N Robinson Ave., began their journey with a food truck and now serve up authentic Kenyan dishes from the food court at the Robinson Renaissance building. Their samosas were recently named a people’s choice winner at the Girl Scouts of Western Oklahoma’s annual Cookies and Cocktails fundraiser and also won an award for best samosas in OKC’s Vegan Chef challenge in 2024.

Zack Walters of Sedalia’s, 2727 NW 10th St., finds himself named a semifinalist for the second year in a row.

“I am very thrilled to be nominated and representing Oklahoma and its continued push in the national conversation when it comes to food, hospitality & the legacy of our community. It is a very trying time to think of awards and awards season in our profession but we are so immensely grateful nonetheless – this award nomination feels more for my team than it does for me,” Walters said. “The hard work, dedication and commitment they put into their day. We are very honored to be recognized. I’m incredibly happy to share this semifinalist nomination with all my colleagues representing Oklahoma, I’m very lucky to know many of them and know the dedication they put into their craft and into building our community.”

Veronica Zelada of Café Kacao, 3325 N. Classen Blvd., has spent nearly 15 years crafting Latin-American dishes in Oklahoma City’s Asian District. Zelada’s restaurant is regularly regarded as one of the best brunch spots in Oklahoma City and people gladly wait in line to dine on the menu options that take their influences from Zelada’s native Guatemala, as well as countries like El Salvador, Brazil, and Southern Mexico.

Outstanding Restaurant presented by Acqua Panna Natural Spring Water

Nonesuch, 803 N. Hudson Ave., returns for the second consecutive year as a semifinalist in the Outstanding Restaurant category and is joined by FarmBar, 1740 S. Boston Ave. in Tulsa.

Both restaurants offer standout multi-course tasting menus crafted by chefs utilizing sustainably and thoughtfully sourced ingredients.

FarmBar’s head chef, Lisa Becklund, was a nominee in 2025 for Outstanding Chef and has been a two-time semifinalist for Best Chef: Southwest.

Best New Bar

Later Bye, 301 NW 13th St., earned a semifinalist mention in the Best New Bar category, one of the more recently added categories for the awards. The intimate spot is helmed by the team of Steven Idlet and Bailey and Brian Butler. The Butlers are also behind another popular OKC destination, Palo Santo.

“We are honored to be semifinalists for the James Beard Foundation’s Best New Bar! The recognition is a testament to our hard-working and talented staff,” Idlet said in a statement on behalf of the team. “It’s an amazing feeling to be mentioned alongside such talented peers across the country. We are incredibly grateful to the support OKC has given us over our first year and look forward to many more!”

Outstanding Restaurateur

Rachel Cope, who’s 84 Hospitality is the overhead of popular restaurants like Elisabetta, Gorō Ramen, Empire Slice and Burger Punk, has been making moves in the Oklahoma restaurant scene for more than a decade, inspired by friends from cities around the country, but dedicated to her love for her home state.

“I never even dreamt that that was possible. I’ve always just watched our friends and other restaurant people from Oklahoma and cheered them on, but it was definitely a really cool surprise,” Cope said.

Cope said the timing of the announcement is perfect as she prepares to launch into 2026 with her team, and gives them something to celebrate together, but that it’s also fun to have something to look forward to as she and other semifinalists await finalist nomination announcements in March.

“That would be really cool for the city, I think that would be awesome. It’d be cool for Oklahoma,” she said. “It’s always great when anyone from the state is recognized and kind of continues to shine a light on what everybody’s working really hard to do here in little Oklahoma. It’s a pretty cool place to be.”

The Oklahoma Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.

Here’s a look at Jan. 20, 2026, results for each game:

Winning Mega Millions numbers from Jan. 20 drawing

08-47-50-56-70, Mega Ball: 12

Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 3 numbers from Jan. 20 drawing

7-8-0

Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Lucky For Life numbers from Jan. 20 drawing

06-09-28-41-45, Lucky Ball: 08

Check Lucky For Life payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash 5 numbers from Jan. 20 drawing

14-17-19-32-33

Check Cash 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize

• Sign Your Ticket: Please make sure to sign and complete the back of your ticket
• You have 180 days from the draw date to claim your prize.
• Prizes up to $600: Can be claimed at any Oklahoma Lottery retailer or at the Oklahoma Lottery Winner Center, located at 300 N. Broadway in downtown Oklahoma City. Hours of operation are Monday – Friday 7:30 am – 4:00 pm.
• Prizes from $601 to $49,999: These can be claimed at the Oklahoma Lottery Winner Center or by mail. Payments can be issued as a check or direct deposit (ACH). Claiming in person requires a photo of the front and back of the winning ticket, a valid ID, official proof of Social Security number and a completed claim form.
• Prizes of $50,000 or more: These can be claimed in person at the Oklahoma Lottery Winner Center or by mail. Payment options include check or ACH. Bring a photo of the front and back of the winning ticket, proof of Social Security number, a completed claim form, and valid ID.

Mail-in Claims: Mail the original signed ticket and a completed claim form to the Oklahoma Lottery, P.O. Box 548810, Oklahoma City, OK 73154. For direct deposit, include a voided check or bank letter with your account details. Non-winning tickets are not accepted, and Oklahoma Lottery assumes no responsibility for lost or stolen mail.

For additional details, refer to the official Oklahoma Lottery claim page.

When are the Oklahoma Lottery drawings held?

• Powerball: 9:59 p.m. CT Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
• MEGA Millions: 10 p.m. CT Tuesday and Friday.
• Lucky for Life: 9:38 p.m. CT daily
• Lotto America: 9:15 p.m. CT Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
• Pick 3: 9:10 p.m. CT daily.
• Cash 5: 9:10 p.m. CT daily.
• Powerball Double Play: 9:59 p.m. CT Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by an Oklahoma editor. You can send feedback using this form.

Oklahoma State’s hopes of making the NCAA Tournament are still intact, but it needs some help over the next few weeks.

On Saturday night, Vyctorius Miller’s three free throws in the final seconds lifted OSU to a one-point win against Kansas State. Most importantly, his heroics were enough to keep OSU from suffering a crushing early-season defeat.

While a loss to the Wildcats wouldn’t have sunk the Pokes’ hopes of making it to the big dance entirely, a 1-4 conference record with consecutive losses at home to unranked opponents might have been close enough to a death sentence for Steve Lutz’s team to put OSU’s season on a dark path. Instead, that wild swing toward the end of the game has put OSU in a position to get some wins and get back on track in the coming weeks.

Considering the craziness of the Big 12 and the potential national title contenders in the conference, simply finishing .500 in conference play should be enough to get OSU in. Of course, that’s much easier said than done.

On Tuesday night, OSU will be in Fort Worth looking to take down TCU. The Horned Frogs won their conference opener against Baylor but have dropped four straight since, but they still enter as an 8.5-point favorite. 

After a crushing loss at TCU last season, the Cowboys will be looking to avoid that same fate and finally secure a road win in Big 12 play under Lutz, who still has an 0-12 record in those contests. 

Considering OSU’s recent struggles, it’s not exactly staggering to see that the Pokes aren’t even in the tournament picture going into their sixth Big 12 matchup. In Joe Lunardi’s latest Bracketology for ESPN, OSU couldn’t even muster a spot on the next four out, effectively placing it outside the top 76 teams in the country.

After such a great nonconference run that saw OSU suffer only one loss, Big 12 play has hit the Cowboys hard. With a 2-3 record and no sustained success since the beginning of conference play, OSU has a long road ahead if it wants to get in.

Playing in a conference as strong as the Big 12 is a blessing and a curse. OSU will have plenty of opportunities to get its name back in the tournament picture, but that also means a plethora of contests against some of the top teams in the country.