An East Valley chef has advanced as a finalist for the 2019 James Beard Awards.
Charleen Badman of FnB in Scottsdale was the lone Arizona semifinalist to make the cut as a finalist in the Best Chef: Southwest category. The category encompasses Arizona, Texas, Colorado, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Utah. Badman is one of five finalists in the category, with the four other nominees hailing from Texas.
Initially, Arizona had 10 semifinalists who were announced in February, before that list was culled…
