Calistoga chef named 2024 James Beard Award semifinalist

Might this be the year the North Bay ends its dry streak in the coveted James Beard Awards?

Rogelio Garcia, chef of Calistoga’s Auro, hopes so.

Though, he said, winning isn’t everything. (Full disclosure: His restaurant has a Michelin star, which is largely considered the upper echelon of acknowledgment in the hospitality industry.)

Garcia’s name came up Wednesday when the James Beard Foundation announced this year’s semifinalists in the Restaurant and Chef Awards. He is in the running for best California chef, and is the category’s only nominee from the North Bay.

“I have so many emotions. I’ve seen many chefs I worked for win this award. It means a lot. I never thought I’d even be nominated,” he said Thursday.

Garcia remains humble despite the accolades.

“Even people who didn’t make it are extremely talented. I understand how much drive, passion, and sacrifice it takes to be there, and hats off to whoever takes the award,” he said.

He attributes the nomination to his team’s daily improvement.

“For me, it is about my team, the passion we have, and how we are all operating at the top of our game,” he said. “From the service to the dining experience to the cuisine. We want to represent Napa and California.”

The last time a North Bay chef won the category was in 2013, when the medallion went to three-time Michelin star recipient Christopher Kostow, chef of The Restaurant at Meadowood in St. Helena.

Last year, Kyle and Katina Connaughton of Healdsburg’s Michelin-starred SingleThread was a finalist in the category, and there have been other North Bay and North Coast semifinalists over the years.

After celebrating their one-year anniversary in October 2023 and earning their first Michelin star in July 2023, Garcia and his team at Auro is ready to take on the added demand amid the James Beard recognition.

Bookings for Auro will fill quickly. If you aren’t able to snag a reservation though, Garcia teased a cookbook he is releasing later this year, infusing traditional Mexican dishes with Napa ingredients.

For best California chef, Garcia will face off against nine contenders, mostly from San Francisco and Oakland with three from Southern California. The semifinalists are:

• Diego Argoti, Poltergeist in Los Angeles

• C-Y Chia and Shane Stanbridge, Lion Dance Cafe in Oakland

• Geoff Davis, Burdell in Oakland

• Azalina Eusope, Azalina’s in San Francisco

• Alex Garcia and Elvia Huerta, Evil Cooks in Los Angeles

• Srijith “Sri” Gopinathan, Copra in San Francisco

• Dima Habibeh, Ammatoli in Long Beach

• Jeong-In Hwang, San Ho Won in San Francisco

• Jihee Kim, Perilla in Los Angeles

Finalists will be announced April 3, and winners will be announced at a ceremony June 10 at the Lyric Opera in Chicago.