James Beard Names Mallorca and Cordelia’s Vinnie Cimino as Semifinalists in 2026 Awards

From longstanding hospitality to boundary-pushing concepts, Cleveland’s culinary scene is top-notch, and once again, that talent is being recognized by the hospitality industry’s top award.

The James Beard Foundation named two Cleveland restaurants as semifinalists for 2026 James Beard Awards. Chef Vinnie Cimino of Cordelia was selected in the Best Chef: Great Lakes category, which includes chefs from Michigan, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio. Downtown Spanish restaurant Mallorca was also recognized as a semifinalist in the Outstanding Hospitality category.

The honors build on Cleveland’s previous James Beard honors. In 2025, chef Brandon Chrostowski won the inaugural James Beard Foundation Impact Award for his work with Edwins Leadership and Restaurant Institute, a culinary training program for formerly incarcerated individuals. That same year, Cimino, Allie La Valle and Jeremy Umansky of Larder Delicatessen and Bakery, along with Douglas Katz, chef-partner of Zhug, Amba and Kiln, were named semifinalists for various awards. 

In 2024, Cimino was a finalist in the Great Lakes category. He was the first Cleveland chef to make it that far since Jonathon Sawyer, then of Greenhouse Tavern, won the award in 2015. Michael Symon is the only other chef to win, which he did for Lola Bistro in 2009. 

Owned and operated by restaurateur Laurie Torres, Mallorca has been Cleveland’s premier Spanish restaurant for nearly 30 years. She has also served as the president of Cleveland Independents, the local restaurant advocacy group.

Cordelia was recognized as Cleveland Magazine’s Best New Restaurant in 2023, while Mallorca remains a perennial winner in the magazine’s Silver Spoon Reader-Voted Awards.

“This is 100% because of my longtime staff who love this city and love being in service to others,” says Torres. “I am beyond blessed with the people I work with.” 

Final restaurant and chef nominees will be announced March 31, with winners celebrated on June 15 at the James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards ceremony at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.

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