Two Omahans have been nominated for Best Chef: Midwest on the 2025 James Beard Awards Semifinalists list. They are Tim Nicholson from The Boiler Room and David Utterback from Ota and Yoshitomo. They were the only semifinalists from Nebraska. There was one from Iowa (Cedar Rapids), and one from South Dakota (Custer). Missouri had four, while Kansas had two. Winners will be announced June 16th in Chicago.