Karyn Tomlinson won the 2025 James Beard Award for Best Chef: Midwest, showcasing her success in the culinary world. She wears her grandmother's coral dress, a tribute reflecting her heritage. As the chef-owner of Myriel in St. Paul, she offers 'grandma cooking nouveau,' blending Scandinavian and Minnesotan flavors with French technique. Tomlinson emphasizes local sourcing and sustainability in her dishes. Her background includes training at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris and working at Fäviken in Sweden, ultimately shaping her mission to honor the land and celebrate regional ingredients.
Tomlinson, the chef-owner of Myriel in St. Paul, Minnesota, has quickly become a leading voice in the new wave of Midwestern cuisine, celebrated for its 'grandma cooking nouveau'—a blend of Scandinavian and Minnesotan roots with refined French technique.
Her approach is both humble and precise: She champions local farmers, leans into sustainability, and crafts dishes that are comforting and sophisticated, earning her a loyal following and national recognition.
Raised in a family where hospitality was a way of life, Tomlinson's journey took her from the woods of Minnesota to the kitchens of Le Cordon Bleu in Paris and the storied, two-Michelin-starred Fäviken in Sweden.
She returned home, at 32, with a global perspective and a mission: to create food that connects people, honors the land, and celebrates the unsung ingredients of the region.
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