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Although eight Montana restaurants have a chance to claim one of the culinary world’s most competitive honors for the first time in the state’s history, Bozeman’s nominees remain humble.
On Tuesday, the James Beard Foundation announced its list of semifinalists, recognizing standout restaurants, bakeries, bars and chefs from across the country. Eight Montana establishments were named, with the majority based in Bozeman.
Blackbird Kitchen is listed in the Outstanding Restaurant category, while Wild Crumb is recognized as an Outstanding Bakery semifinalist. Jarrett Wrisley, chef and owner of Shan, is a semifinalist for Best Chef in the Mountain West region. Bozeman restaurateurs Brett Evje and Michael Ochsner are also honored in the Outstanding Restaurateur category for their restaurants, PLONK in Bozeman and Missoula and J.W. Heist Steakhouse.
“I was thrilled,” said Wrisley, recalling when he learned of his nomination. “I think it’s really important, not only for me, but especially for our team, that we’re recognized for all the hard work that we do in the restaurant. It’s kind of a grind sometimes, so to be recognized for your hard work is incredibly gratifying.”
The recognition marks Shan’s second time as a James Beard semifinalist. The restaurant appeared on the list in 2023 under the Best New Restaurant category shortly after opening.
Wrisley has spent more than two decades cooking Asian cuisine, a craft shaped by years of traveling, eating and working across Asia, including time in Beijing, Sichuan, Shanghai, Hong Kong and Bangkok, where he eventually opened several restaurants.
But in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, after dedicating more than half his life to the industry, Wrisley stepped away. He, his wife, Candice Lin, and their son closed their 11-year-old Bangkok restaurant and swore off the business altogether.
But during the family’s hiatus and time spent in Bozeman, the pull of the kitchen slowly returned.
“When I moved here, after closing several restaurants in Asia, I started to really develop the concept,” Wrisley said. “What I wanted to do was work with local farms and ranches and cook food from the mountains of Thailand and southwest China using as much local products as possible, and that’s what we’re doing now.”
Nearly three years since Shan’s doors opened he has no regrets.
“There’s still a great appreciation for working-class people here, and there’s nothing more working-class than this business. We work really hard, and we work with our hands, and we’re doing it for the good of our communities,” he said.
Still, the journey hasn’t been without challenges, particularly throughout 2025 amid uncertainty surrounding tariffs and the rising cost of importing ingredients from overseas.
“The general chaos of our tariff policy has been very difficult for restaurants to navigate because it’s very difficult to understand how much things are going to cost when the goalposts are constantly moving under this current administration,” Wrisley said.
Even as the industry continues to grapple with those pressures, Wrisley said a James Beard win would make the effort even more worthwhile.
“I think it would be one of the greatest achievements of my life,” he said. “I think it would be absolutely incredible for our staff. To be recognized as doing something at an incredibly high level and the dedication and respect and knowledge that takes would be absolutely wonderful.”
Blackbird owner and founder Josh Gibson echoed that sentiment.
“It would be awesome for all of us,” he said. “At the Blackbird we’ve always done our thing because we love it and we believe in it. We believe that good hospitality can make a difference in people’s lives. We believe that healthy local food systems are essential to a thriving community. Honestly, we have worked really hard in support of these values over the years, but we’ve only been able to do so because Bozeman supports our mission.”
Seventeen years after Gibson and his wife, Shannon Douglass, opened Blackbird in 2009, the rustic Italian eatery continues to draw locals and tourists alike with a steady menu of antipasti, vegetables, pasta, meats and wood-fired pizza.
What feels most meaningful about this year’s recognition, Gibson said, is Blackbird’s placement in the Outstanding Restaurant category, which considers not only cuisine, but the entirety of a restaurant’s operation.
“Food quality matters, but so does service, hospitality, leadership, culture, the beverage program, and how the restaurant functions over time. With this nomination the JBF is recognizing that we have been caring about all these details, year after year,” he said.
That same emphasis on consistency has guided Wild Crumb owners Lauren Heemstra and Caroline Schweitzer since they opened the bakery in 2013. More than a decade later, Wild Crumb is now a semifinalist in the Outstanding Bakery category.
Tucked into a 2,200-square-foot space on the corner of Peach and Wallace streets, the bakery more often than not has a line wrapped around the block.
To newcomers or visitors, Wild Crumb’s success of daily sold-out pastry cases and empty bread baskets may appear effortless, but the sisters said the reality has been far more complex.
“Maintaining quality has been a challenge as we have evolved over the last decade,” said a statement from the sisters. “A passionate and talented management team has made it possible for us to navigate this growth. We are proud of our team for having a strong, respectful culture and taking pride in their work.”
Heemstra and Schweitzer also pointed to Bozeman’s endless support for Montana-made goods as essential to their success.
“Bozeman has always supported homemade products and local producers. COVID also encouraged a new generation of home bakers that are looking to further their knowledge of artisan sourdough products,” the sisters said.
While Wild Crumb doesn’t need any awards to make waking up before the sun to fire up the ovens worth it, the chance to bring home the gold for Montana would be the butter on a warm loaf of bread.
“We would be honored to represent Montana,” Heemstra and Schweitzer said.
The 2026 James Beard Award finalists will be announced March 31, with the winners announced June 15 at Chicago’s Lyric Opera.
Dining and Cooking