BOISE, Idaho — This article originally appeared in the Idaho Press.
It's official — the Treasure Valley is the home of James Beard award-nominated chefs. Not one, not two, not three — but four were announced in the 2023 James Beard Awards for Restaurant and Chef Semifinalists.
In the "Best Chef: Mountain" division, which includes Colorado, Idaho, Montana and Utah, Salvador Alamilla of Amano in Caldwell; and three others from Boise: Dan Ansotegui, Ansots; Kris Komori, KIN; and Kibrom Milash, Kibrom’s Ethiopian & Eritrean Food, were recognized.
The James Beard Awards, named after the renowned food writer, teacher and author, are honors given out annually to chefs, restaurateurs, writers and journalists.
The local restaurants represent a wide range of cuisines, yet each one has something in common: a commitment to use local, Idaho ingredients.
Alamilla is the chef at Amano in Caldwell. He was also recognized in a James Beard nomination last year. Amano is, according to the website, "a craft Mexican kitchen that delivers tradition in a vibrant and modern setting. We source carefully and prepare honestly to deliver the smell and taste of Mexico.
"From tortillas hechas a mano (made by hand) using heirloom corn (nixtamal), sourced from ancient grains in Mexico; to dishes that highlight the local harvest of Idaho and honor all the hands that prepared it; to hand-crafted cocktails and small batch agave distillations; to local hand-crafted beer and wine from the Snake River Valley."
At Ansots, Ansotegui pulls in flavor and cuisine from the Basque country. He has been in the Boise food scene for four decades. He started Bar Gernika in 1991, The Basque Market in 1999 and more recently was at Txikiteo. Ansots specialties include "a variety of chorizos, marinated solomo, and Basque bacon," according to the website. "We welcome you into our restaurant for small plates, Basque & Spanish wines, Basque natural cider, and espresso like you remember from your trips, either real or imagined, to the Basque Country." This is his second year in a row as a James Beard nominee.
At KIN, Komori has become known for creating food as art, as delicious to eat as it is to gaze upon. This is Komori's fifth consecutive year to be a James Beard nominee. The website says KIN's prixe fixe menu, which changes every five weeks, is: "A five-course food and beverage experience threaded together through storytelling in a communal setting."
This is Milash's first James Beard nomination. Milash's first experience as a restaurateur was in a Shimelba refugee camp in Ethiopia. When the family moved to Boise, he opened a restaurant in The International Market which was destroyed by a fire in 2015. Kibrom's has been at its current location at 35th and State since 2016. On its website, owners Kibrom and Tirhas invite locals to stop in. "We love introducing people to the flavors of East African cuisine and providing a place for people who enjoy Ethiopian and Eritrean food to dine here in Boise."
Ansotegui was bowled over by his nomination. "Yeehaw — isn't that crazy?"
The James Beard recognition came on the heels of Ansots being featured Jan. 14 on CBS Saturday morning's "The Dish."
"It was like boom, boom," Ansotegui said. "We kind of had two things happen back to back."
And while he said it was an honor it was also "kind of scary."
Next steps will include people coming through the nominated restaurants who will act as Beard judges. Finalists will be announced in late spring.
"It's a little bit secretive," Ansotegui said, adding that he didn't even know he had been nominated until friends and customers called to congratulate him after seeing the list on the James Beard website. "It's really cool to see Boise and the Treasure Valley recognized for cool food."
This article originally appeared in the Idaho Press, read more on IdahoPress.com.
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