The "Oscars of the food world," an annual program of the James Beard Foundation in New York City, recognize excellence in the culinary arts in 20 categories, including 10 regional "best chef" segments. The Midwest region includes Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas and Missouri, and this year's semifinalists feature chefs from a half-dozen Twin Cities restaurants, including:

Mike Brown and James Winberg of Travail Kitchen and Amusements in Robbinsdale.

in Robbinsdale. Steven Brown of Tilia in Minneapolis.

in Minneapolis. Doug Flicker of Piccolo in Minneapolis.

in Minneapolis. Russell Klein of Meritage in St. Paul.

in St. Paul. Lenny Russo of Heartland Restaurant & Farm Direct Market in St. Paul.

in St. Paul. Stewart Woodman of Heidi's in Minneapolis.

The category's remaining 14 semifinalists include chefs in Milwaukee and Madison, Wis.; Des Moines; Omaha; Rapid City, S.D.; and St. Louis and Kansas City, Mo.

Minneapolis has had a lock on the Best Chef: Midwest award for the past three years. Tim McKee of La Belle Vie took the prize in 2009 -- the first Minnesotan to do so -- Alex Roberts of Restaurant Alma won in 2010 and Isaac Becker of 112 Eatery was awarded the medallion last year.

More competition

In national categories, Minneapolis semifinalists include:

Restaurant Alma in Outstanding Restaurant.

in Outstanding Restaurant. Tim McKee of La Belle Vie in Outstanding Chef.

in Outstanding Chef. Manny's Steakhouse in Outstanding Service.

in Outstanding Service. La Belle Vie in Outstanding Bar Program.

in Outstanding Bar Program. The Bachelor Farmer in Best New Restaurant.

in Best New Restaurant. Michelle Gayer of the Salty Tart Bakery in Outstanding Pastry Chef.

in Outstanding Pastry Chef. Sameh Wadi of Saffron Restaurant & Lounge in Rising Star Chef of the Year (recognizing chefs ages 30 and under).

in Rising Star Chef of the Year (recognizing chefs ages 30 and under). Richard D'Amico and Larry D'Amico of D'Amico & Partners, which operates D'Amico Kitchen, Masa, Gather and Cafe Lurcat and Bar Lurcat in Minneapolis, Campiello in Eden Prairie, Parma 8200 in Bloomington and the D'Amico & Sons chain, in Outstanding Restaurateur.

A Minnesota connection in Nashville also grabbed some Beard attention: The Catbird Seat, the work of chefs Josh Habiger (formerly of Porter & Frye in Minneapolis) and Erik Anderson (formerly of Sea Change in Minneapolis), is a semifinalist in the Best New Restaurant category.

The judging process

Unlike this weekend's Academy Awards and its two-step nominee/winner process, the Beard's restaurant and chef categories are a three-step system, involving semifinalists, nominees and winners.

In the first round of judging, the foundation selects 20 semifinalists in 20 categories. Judges -- hundreds of critics, journalists, food professionals and past winners -- vote for up to five names in each category. (Full disclosure: I serve on a James Beard Foundation committee.)

Here's where the syntax gets a bit confusing: The top five vote-getters among the semifinalists advance to the nomination stage, and are called "nominees," and not "finalists." A second round of voting commences and the top vote-getter among the five nominees is declared the winner at the foundation's annual gala.

Restaurant and chef nominees will be announced March 21 -- follow the action on the James Beard Foundation's Twitter feed (@beardfoundation) -- along with nominees in the foundation's cookbook, design and journalism categories.

Winners will be announced at the awards ceremony May 7 at Lincoln Center's Avery Fisher Hall in New York. For the complete list of semifinalists, go to www.jamesbeard.org.