The James Beard Foundation released its list of 2024 restaurant and chef award semifinalists today. And like a repeat of last year, Colorado once again snagged 13 nominations for what’s widely regarded as one of the most prestigious honors in the hospitality industry; categories included “outstanding restaurateur,” “best new restaurant,” and “emerging chef.”
Denver chefs like Kelly Whitaker and Penelope Wong reappeared on this year’s list after being overlooked last year. And new faces and places, like MAKfam’s Kenneth Wan and the newly opened Sắp Sửa, are getting their first shot at a prize. A few of the nominees also won Michelin stars in 2023, including Whitaker, Bruto, Beckon and Bosq.
Six of the 20 chefs nominated as the best in the Mountain Region — which includes Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Utah and Wyoming — are from the Centennial State. The finalists will be announced in April.
Here’s the list of the Colorado semifinalists, who have a chance to make it to the final round of nominees before the annual James Beard Awards Gala in June in Chicago:
Advertisement
Owner Kelly Whitaker is pictured at The Wolf’s Tailor on Thursday, Sept. 26, 2019. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz, The Denver Post)
Outstanding Restaurateur
Kelly Whitaker, Id Est Hospitality Group (The Wolf’s Tailor, BRUTØ, Basta, and Hey Kiddo), Boulder
Outstanding Chef
Barclay Dodge, Bosq, Aspen
Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post
Wait staff tend to the diners in the quickly filling dining room at Beckon on Oct. 10, 2019 in Denver. (Photo by Helen H. Richardson/The Denver Post)
Outstanding Restaurant
Beckon, Denver
Kenneth Wan and Doris Yuen celebrated the opening of the first full-service restaurant, MAKfam, with a traditional Chinese lion dance. (Photo by Lucy Beaugard)
Emerging Chef
Kenneth Wan, MAKfam, Denver
DENVER, CO – JUNE 24: Owners of Sap Sua restaurant, chefs Anthony and Anna Nguyen give the stamp of approval on a plate just before it leaves the kitchen for a customer June 24, 2023. (Photo by Andy Cross/The Denver Post)
Best New Restaurant
Sắp Sửa, Denver
Owners Alen Ramos, left, and Carolyn Nugent at Poulette Bakeshop in Parker on Wednesday, December 6, 2023. (Photo by Hyoung Chang/The Denver Post)
Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker
Carolyn Nugent and Alen Ramos, Poulette Bakeshop, Parker
M.Thurk Photography, Provided by Sunday Vinyl
Diners eating brunch at Sunday Vinyl, located by the train platform at Union Station. (M.Thurk Photography, Provided by Sunday Vinyl)
Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program
Sunday Vinyl, Denver
DENVER, CO – JANUARY 11: Co-owner and chef of Molotov Kitschen and Cocktails Bo Porytko, left, talks with co-owner Jareb Parker, right, January 07, 2023. (Photo by Andy Cross/The Denver Post)
Best Chef: Mountain (CO, ID, MT, UT, WY)
Theo Adley, Marigold, Lyons
Diego Coconati, Lucina Eatery & Bar, Denver
Advertisement
Aminata “Ami” Dia and Rougui Dia, Le French, Denver
Bo Porytko, Molotov Kitschen + Cocktails, Denver
Matt Vawter, Rootstalk, Breckenridge
Penelope Wong, Yuan Wonton, Denver
Subscribe to our new food newsletter, Stuffed, to get Denver food and drink news sent straight to your inbox.
Colorado’s best ski deal? Maybe one that costs nothing at all. At Steamboat Springs’ Howelsen Hill, “Sunday Funday is taken to an entirely new level,” reads the city webpage for Ski Free Sundays. Yes, on Sundays throughout the season, visitors need only to walk into the ticket office to grab a pass at no charge. […]
While Colorado ranks near the middle of U.S. states for carbon emissions per capita, it still produces enough CO2 per person to rival countries on the World Bank’s list of top emitters internationally.
In 2023, Colorado produced 13.9 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions per capita. If it had been ranked by the World Bank during the same year, Colorado would have placed 14th among the more than 200 countries on the list, just behind Canada, at 14.1, and just ahead of the U.S. as a whole, at 13.7.
Among U.S. states, Colorado ranked 26th in carbon emissions per capita. Wyoming had the highest per capita emissions in the country, at 92.9 metric tons, while Maryland had the lowest, at 7.8.
Most of Colorado’s emissions come from energy production and consumption, primarily natural gas and oil production and electric power production and consumption.
Advertisement
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
The Colorado Sun partners with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. Read our methodology to learn how we check claims.
Sources
References:
Colorado State Energy Profile, U.S. Energy Information Administration, accessed in December 2025. Source link
Advertisement
2023 Colorado Statewide Inventory of Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks, pg. 128, Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, November 2024. Source link
Senate Bill 24-230 Oil and Gas Production Fees, Colorado General Assembly, accessed in December, 2025. Source link
Senate Bill 23-016 Greenhouse Gas Reduction Measures, Colorado General Assembly, accessed in December 2025. Source link
Carbon dioxide emissions, World Bank Group, 2024, accessed in December 2025. Source link
Energy-related CO2 emission data tables, U.S. Energy Information Administration, accessed in December 2025. Source link
Advertisement
Type of Story: Fact-Check
Checks a specific statement or set of statements asserted as fact.
Advertisement
Cassis Tingley is a Denver-based freelance journalist. She’s spent the last three years covering topics ranging from political organizing and death doulas in the Denver community to academic freedom and administrative accountability at the…
More by Cassis Tingley
Just a few short days after landing tight end Houston Thomas from the NCAA transfer portal, Mike Elko and the Texas A&M Aggies have now added reinforcements on the opposite side of the line of scrimmage.
Former Colorado Buffaloes safety Tawfiq Byard has officially announced his move from the Big 12 to the SEC, just a handful of days after entering the portal himself.
After A&M safety Bryce Anderson’s recent announcement of his own portal entry, Byard could be just the replacement that Elko and new defensive coordinator Lyle Hemphill need in the “Wrecking Crew’s” defensive backfield.
Advertisement
A&M Lands Safety Tawfiq Byard From Colorado
Byard will now play football for his third school in his college career, having also spent some of his playing days with the South Florida Bulls before making the move to Boulder to play for NFL Hall of Famer Deion Sanders and the Colorado Buffaloes.
Advertisement
Colorado Buffaloes defensive back Tawfiq Byard (7) reacts in the first quarter against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Folsom Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
Advertisement
Byard’s sophomore campaign in 2025 was much more telling than that of his previous efforts with the Bulls, appearing in all 12 games for the Buffs while starting in eight of those games.
The defensive back would lead the Colorado defense with 85 tackles and was tied for 26th in the nation in the solo tackles category, with 57, and his eight tackles for loss were the third-most by a safety in the history of the program.
His performance, which also included two forced fumbles, an interception, and 0.5 sacks, earned him an honorable mention on the All-Big 12 team.
For a Texas A&M team that has struggled with injuries in recent years, including one to Anderson, a head injury during the win over Notre Dame, Byard’s durability is exactly what Texas A&M needs on defense, and his efficiency will help tie together what should be a younger A&M secondary in the 2026 season.
Advertisement
During his pair of years in South Florida, Byard appeared in 16 games while starting 10, all of which came in his redshirted freshman season, where he finished with 54 tackles (34 solo), eight tackles for loss, two sacks, one interception, and a fumble recovery before transferring to Colorado.
Advertisement
The Buffaloes had a rough ride of a season in their first without quarterback Shedeur Sanders and former Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter, with only a 3-9 record (1-8 conference) to show for in 2025, their lone conference win coming against a ranked Iowa State Cyclones team.
With the defensive backfield back in decent order, the Aggies now look ahead to a grinding offseason before starting their third season under head coach Mike Elko with a hosting of the Missouri State Bears at Kyle Field on September 5.
