Cobble Hill chef in Cedar Rapids named semifinalist for James Beard Award

CEDAR RAPIDS — A Cedar Rapids chef has made the cut as a semifinalist for the prestigious James Beard Awards.

Andy Schumacher, chef and co-owner of Cobble Hill in Cedar Rapids, was named semifinalist for the Best Chef Midwest award category. He was the only Iowa chef to make this year’s list.

This is Schumacher’s second time on this list. He earned the same nod for Best Chef Midwest from the judges in 2015. Schumacher opened the Brooklyn-inspired Cobble Hill with his wife, Carrie, in 2013.

The foundation also named Simon’s, an Italian restaurant in Des Moines owned by Simon Goheen, as a semifinalist for the Outstanding Hospitality award category.

James Beard Awards are considered one of the highest honors in the American restaurant and culinary arts industry.

The last Cedar Rapids chef to secure the James Beard semifinalist status was Chef Samuel Charles, owner of the now-closed Rodina, in 2023.

Winners will be announced at the James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards ceremony in Chicago on June 16. This year marks the 35th anniversary of the awards.

Comments: Features reporter Elijah Decious can be reached at (319) 398-8340 or elijah.decious@thegazette.com.