Could Southwest Minneapolis Snag A James Beard Award?

Tomorrow, East Harriet chef Doug Flicker will find out some big news.

On Monday, the esteemed minds assembled by the James Beard Foundation will announce whether or not the creator of will make the foundation’s shortlist of finalists for best chef in the Midwest.

Flicker was . It is his second time on the semifinalist list.

While he’s hoping to make the cut, Flicker told Patch that he’s trying to stay “pretty laid back” about the award competition.

“I don’t want to get ahead of myself,” he said with a quiet smile. “It’s sort of like having a friend whisper in your ear that someone you like wants to go to prom with you, but they haven’t said anything to you yet.”

When he launched Piccolo two years ago, the veteran twin cities chef said he’d “wanted to do what I was good at.”

“It’s been 98 percent fantastic. A fantastic journey,” Flicker said. “It’s fantastic coming in here in the morning before everybody else gets here. It’s just as fantastic wiping down your station at the end of the night when you know you’ve done a great job and made a lot of people happy.”

Even if he misses the cutoff, Flicker said he wont’ be distraught.

“There are so many different levels to what success is,” he said. “Making payroll every week is a success.”

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