by Dennis Dalman
Mateo Mackbee, head chef at Krewe restaurant in St. Joseph, has been named a semi-finalist for one of the highest possible culinary honors – a James Beard Foundation award for regional “Best Chef.”
That outstanding honor comes on the heels of another award won by Mackbee’s significant other, Pastry Chef Erin Lucas. In late December, her “Flour & Flower” bakery shop was named among the 22 “Best” in the nation. She and Mackbee are co-owners of Flour and Flower and of Krewe restaurant, both located almost right next to each other in downtown St. Joseph.
Mackbee, whose restaurant specializes in Creole New Orleans-style cooking, is one of 11 chefs and/or restaurants in Minnesota named as semi-finalists in the Midwest category of competition. There are five Minnesota chefs among the 20 up for the Best Chef award in the Midwest category.
Besides Mackbee, the other four Minnesota semi-finalists for “Best Chef” are Shigeyuki Furukawa of restaurant “Kado no Mise’ in Minneapolis; Abraham Gessesse of restaurant “Hyacinth” in St. Paul; Diane Moua of restaurant “Diane’s Place” in Minneapolis; and Karyn Tomlinson of restaurant “Myriel” in St. Paul.
The list of semi-finalists will be honed down to the finalists in early April, and the winners will be honored June 16 at the Lyric Opera House in Chicago.
The Midwest competition category includes Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska, Kansas, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin. Nationwide, there are competitions in nine regions and three states: California, New York, Texas.
James Beard was a world-renowned chef. Born in Portland, Ore., he was not only a chef but also a cookbook writer, teacher, public speaker and TV celebrity who hosted a TV cooking show called “I Love to Eat.” He died at age 81, in 1985 in New York City. The James Beard Foundation and its annual awards began in 1990 in honor of the late, great chef. The awards are presented to a variety of food-related achievements – best chefs, best restaurants, best hospitality, best wines and so forth.
Winning a James Beard Best Chef award is considered the equivalent of winning an Oscar award at the annual Academy Awards ceremony.
Semi-finalist Mackbee of Krewe restaurant was a Bloomington resident before he and partner Erin Lucas moved to outstate Minnesota about six years ago – first to New London, then to St. Joseph. Both had been chefs in the Twin Cities.
Krewe opened in St. Joseph in 2020. The restaurant’s name is a nod of tribute to the “krewes” in New Orleans, groups of people that create imaginative floats for that city’s annual Mardi Gras parade.
In his youth, Mackbee, growing up in the Minneapolis area, developed a deep love for New Orleans’ culture. He spent the summers of his youth visiting that historic, culturally-rich city watching his New Orleans grandfather cook for family and friends throughout the city. His mother’s cooking, too, was raved up by so many. Mackbee became determined to follow his family tradition of its unique cooking heritage, using old and much-loved family recipes of his grandfather’s. As head chef of Krewe, Mackbee is passionate about using farm-fresh ingredients to create delicious foods in the New Orleans tradition, including servings like muffuletta, jambalaya, gumbo and more.
Mateo Mackbee and his significant other, Erin Lucas, have been on a winning streak lately. Recently, Mackbee was announced as a semi-finalist for the prestigious James Beard Best Chef Award. He is the co-founder and head chef at the Krewe restaurant in St. Joseph. Lucas is the pastry chef at Flour & Flower in St. Joseph. The couple co-founded both food establishments a few years ago.
