Two Salt Lake City chefs were named Utah’s only finalists for the 2026 James Beard Awards.
State of play: Felt Bar & Eatery’s Travis Herbert and Urban Hill’s Nick Zocco are finalists for best chef in the Mountain region, which includes Utah, Colorado, Idaho, Montana and Wyoming.
- This marks Herbert’s first nomination since joining Felt, which opened in 2024.
- Meanwhile, Zocco, who is no stranger to the spotlight, was a finalist in 2024 and a semifinalist last year. Perhaps the third time’s the charm?
Catch up quick: Eight Utah chefs and restaurants were named semifinalists in January, including The Pearl’s Tommy Nguyen for best chef, the Japanese-Italian fusion concept Junah for best new restaurant, and Post Office Place for outstanding bar…