Having made it to the group of 20 semifinalists for the James Beard Award for Best Pastry Chef I have spent the last month or so feeling honored, nervous and excited. Today I found out that my journey on that list ends here this year. I didn’t make the top 6 list. Of course I am disappointed but I am inspired to work harder and be better. I know chef’s are supposed to be tough but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t really want this. So I’ve got another year to get better. The first step to achieving my dream of making the short list with James Beard happened when I got on the long list. Just need to keep pushing!

Congratulations to everyone that made it to the semifinals and beyond. We all work so hard it’s nice to have people notice and I’m sure everyone on that list has dreamed of it too. You should all be very proud of what you’ve achieved!