"In 2024, chef Steve Kestler was the Las Vegas area’s only finalist in the James Beard restaurant and chef awards; he represented a Henderson restaurant but did not win that year. That 2024 finalist status was noted in coverage of the long-running James Beard Awards, which are considered prestigious honors in food and have a history that includes first awards in 1991, a pause in 2020 and 2021 over misbehavior and abuse allegations and a lack of nominated and winning Black chefs, and an internal audit to make voting processes more inclusive before returning in 2022." - Rebecca Roland