The chef at Living Kitchen Farm & Dairy near Depew, Oklahoma, on Wednesday was named a semifinalist for the prestigious James Beard Award that honors culinary excellence.
Living Kitchen chef Lisa Becklund was listed in the Best Chef: Southwest division. The restaurant sits about a half-mile south of old Route 66 in a log cabin.
Living Kitchen put out this message Wednesday on its Facebook page:
Other semifinalists in Route 66 towns in the Southwest are Jeff Chanchaleune of Gun Izakaya in Oklahoma City; Fernando Olea of Sazón Restaurant in Sante Fe, New Mexico; Jonathan Perno of Campo at Los Poblanos Historic Inn & Organic Farm in Los Ranchos de Albuquerque, New Mexico; and Kevin Snell of Amelia’s in Tulsa.
The full Beard Award nominees list for 2020 is here at Eater.com. The James Beard Awards Gala will take place on May 4 at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.
Living Kitchen has gained notice in recent years because of rhapsodic reviews on TripAdvisor and Yelp and a rare five-star rating from the Tulsa World’s longtime restaurant critic.
One caveat for Route 66 travelers: Reservations for Living Kitchen’s dinners must be made well in advance, as they sell out quickly. It also will cost more than $100 a person, but I’ve read of no one who thinks it’s a bad value for what typically is a nine-course meal.
Reservation for Living Kitchen’s popular farm-to-table meals may be made here. Frequently asked questions about Living Kitchen are here.
Becklund also is opening a sit-down restaurant, FarmBar, at 18th Street and Boston Avenue in Tulsa that should open before spring. It would be less than a mile south of Route 66.
One notable past Beard Awards semifinalist is chef John Sharpe of The Turquoise Room at La Posada in Winslow, Arizona, right off Route 66. Sharpe still is working his culinary magic there.
(Images via the Facebook page of Living Kitchen Farm & Dairy)
For a 110.00 a person, that would have to be a lot of food and really special
Now, a good thick steak I can see that kind of a fee but for beans and potatoes or a chicken egg and being able to set on the porch seems a little to steep
I think just the experience of having fresh is worth a lot.
For an old farm boy though it is just fresh food
It works for them and that is great that they have such success