2026 Capitol Hill and Central District James Beard semifinalists: Cafe Suliman, Temple Pastries, Ramie, and Surrell

(Image: Cafe Suliman)

(Image: Cafe Suliman)

The talented food and drink creators behind a Levantine flavored cafe inside Melrose Market, a Central District bakery, elevated Vietnamese on 14th Ave, and an E Madison house dedicated to “modern Pacific” fine dining have been honored as semifinalists in the annual James Beard Awards.

The announcement of the semifinalist lists is the first step in what has grown into an expanded process for the foundation’s awards. Final nominees will be announced in March with winners celebrated in June.

By then, you will have hopefully paid a visit or two to these Capitol Hill and Central District honorees.

2026 Capitol Hill and Central District James Beard Semifinalists
View full semifinalist announcement here

(Image: Temple Pastries)

Emerging Chef
Ahmed Suliman, Cafe Suliman
Melrose Market
Suliman was a familiar face in Melrose Market where he previously worked at Bar Ferdinand and Sitka and Spruce before developing Cafe Suliman. CHS reported here in late 2023 as Cafe Suliman came together in partnership with natural wine purveyor Cantina Sauvage from fellow Sitka alum Marc Papineau. Cafe Suliman has grown into its own with a space inspired by global Arabic cafes and a day and night schedule.

Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker
Christina Wood, Temple Pastries
S Jackson
CHS was there in 2020 when Wood and Temple Pastries was ready to grow beyond its days of pop-ups at Broadcast Coffee into its own bakeshop at 25th and Jackson. “Believing in butter since 2020,” Temple has grown into a standout bakery in the Central District, renowned for its “Cult of the Croissant” and a distinctive approach to sourdough-based laminated doughs. In 2025, Temple added a nighttime transformation into Sacro Bosco Pizza to its delicious offerings.

Scallion Oil Siphon Cake (Image: Ramie)

Best Chef: Northwest & Pacific (AK, HI, OR, WA)
Thai Nguyen and Trinh Nguyen, Ramie
14th Ave
After honing their craft with their Bainbridge Island original Ba Sa, the Nguyen siblings opened Ramie on 14th Ave in 2024 in the space formerly home to Omega Ouzeri after the retirement of longtime neighborhood restaurateurs Thomas and Rebecca Soukakos. Ramie serves elevated Vietnamese dishes with quite literally as many Pacific Northwest ingredients as possible along with a bar program centered on emerging Vietnamese, Asian and lesser-known spirits. “The first year is always like a whirlwind. You never really know what to expect until you open,” Trinh told CHS last year as we checked in with Ramie.

Aaron Tekulve, Surrell
E Madison

(Image: Surrell)

Since 2020, chef and owner Tekulve has grown Surrell in a more than 120-year-old Madison Valley house. Old timers will remember it as the onetime home to the wine-focused Crush. The chef has taken a patient approach starting Surrell with a recipe of parties and events, private dining, pop-ups, and a limited schedule of restaurant service emphasizing Pacific Northwest wines and pairings. “It’s really simple,” Tekulve told CHS in 2020. “It’s the economics. It’s also burnout.” Surrell continues its steady pace, open only Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays.

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