A Utah restaurateur, pastry chef, restaurant, bar and five chefs have all been named as semifinalists for 2025 in the James Beard Awards, which recognize exceptional talent in the food and beverage world.
Lavanya Mahate, owner of the Saffron Valley Indian restaurants, was nominated as one of the 20 national contenders in the Outstanding Restaurateur category, perhaps the James Beard Foundation’s top national award. Among Mahate’s accomplishments is establishing the RISE Culinary Institute, a training kitchen and program designed for refugees and new residents.
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah entrepreneur Lavanya Mahate, owner and founder of Saffron Valley restaurants, has been named a semifinalist in the Outstanding Restaurateur category of the prestigious James Beard Awards, the James Beard Foundation announced on January 22, 2025.
Mahate, a first-time nominee, said the news was “surreal.”
She started out in the food industry selling spice blends at the Downtown Farmers Market, then in 2011 opened the first of five Saffron Valley locations, in South Jordan.
“It’s definitely been a great journey being a restaurateur, and this just feels like it’s the icing on top of the cake,” she said. “It’s definitely a beautiful acknowledgement of the work that we’ve done for the last 15 years with our restaurants.”
Adalberto Diaz, whose confections can be tasted at his bakery Fillings & Emulsions, was nominated in the category of Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker.
Diaz, another first-time nominee, said he was “surprised” at the news. “I don’t even know how it happened, but I’m glad it did,” he said.
The past two years haven’t been easy for Fillings & Emulsions, Diaz said. But being nominated was “good news, kind of like a reward, in my mind, for surviving the last couple of years,” he said.
Manoli’s, the small-plates Greek restaurant at 402 E. 900 South, was nominated in the category of Outstanding Hospitality. Manoli’s was nominated in the same category in 2022.
Manoli Katsanevas, who owns the restaurant with his wife, Katrina Katsanevas, said one of the things they take pride in is their service, “especially in a Greek restaurant, because hospitality is everything in Greek culture.”
“Whether you’re nominated for food, hospitality, whatever, it’s always an honor,” he said, “but it means a lot coming from hospitality, because we take so much pride in making our guests feel comfortable and at home when they’re at our restaurant.”
(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Manoli Katsanevas at Manoli's in Salt Lake City, seen here in 2023. Manoli's has been named a semifinalist in the Outstanding Hospitality category for the prestigious James Beard Awards, the James Beard Foundation announced on January 22, 2025.
Water Witch, at 163 W. 900 South, was nominated in the Outstanding Bar category. In 2022, it was a semifinalist for Outstanding Bar Program, and in 2024, chef David Chon at Bar Nohm, Water Witch’s sister bar, was nominated for Best Chef: Mountain.
Sean Neves, one of the owners of Water Witch, said, “We are just so stoked for our team. It’s a testament to our people. They slave away in the darkness.”
Neves added that he was excited to see so many Utah names on the list of semifinalists. “A lot of people nationally don’t know about our scene, and each one of [the nominees] so richly deserves it,” he said.
Five Utah chefs were included this year among the 20 regional semifinalists in the Best Chef: Mountain category, which covers Utah, Colorado, Idaho, Montana and Wyoming:
• Mike Blocher and Nick Fahs, Table X, 1457 E. 3350 South, Salt Lake City.
• Andrew Fuller, Oquirrh, 368 E. 100 South, Salt Lake City. He was nominated in the same category in 2023.
• Matthew Harris, tupelo Park City, 1500 Kearns Blvd., Park City.
• Nick Zocco, Urban Hill, 510 S. 300 West, suite 100, Salt Lake City. In 2024, Zocco was named as a finalist in the same category.
The finalists — five in each category — will be announced April 2, and the winners will be announced June 16.
