The James Beard Awards are some of the most competitive and prestigious recognitions in food and beverage, so how did a New Mexico politician end up on the list alongside a local chef and brewery?
Albuquerque chef Steve Riley of Mesa Provisions in Nob Hill and Bow & Arrow Brewing, a Native women-owned brewery founded by Shyla Sheppard and Dr. Missy Begay, in Wells Park, will share this year’s nominee spotlight with New Mexico’s Senator Ben Ray Luján whose work in Congress focusing on food access earned him a nomination for the foundation’s Impact Award.
Riley was previously a James Beard finalist in 2024. His Mesa Provisions focuses on local seasonal ingredients, often sourced from local farms. In a profile in New Mexico Magazine, Riley says he got his start in kitchens washing dishes in the now-closed Ragin’ Shrimp and rising in the kitchen ranks to become executive chef at Farm and Table before opening Mesa Provisions in 2021. The restaurant recently upgraded to the larger two-story eatery formerly housing Zinc Wine Bar. Riley is nominated as one of the top-5 best chefs in the Southwest.
Sheppard and Begay are no strangers to national recognition, either. This is also their second James Beard nomination and their local beers, often inspired and sourced with local ingredients, have won medals at beer competitions for years. The Native female couple started Bow & Arrow from the ground up after leaving careers in social impact and studying in California. Bow & Arrow is nominated in the Outstanding Bar category.
“We’re honored to accept our 2026 James Beard Award nomination as a Semifinalist for Outstanding Bar,” the Brewery shared on social media. “This marks our second James Beard nomination as Bow & Arrow Brewing, and we’re deeply grateful to our team, our community, and everyone who continues to show up and support what we do. We pour with purpose—and we’re proud to represent New Mexico on a national stage”
Luján, who frequently shares social media posts from his family farm in Nambé, earned a nomination for the Impact Award for his work protecting food access, and particularly championing the federal food assistance program known as SNAP. In announcing the nomination, the foundation says he “has fought to protect and strengthen SNAP—the most effective anti-hunger program in the nation. He has also fought to ensure that the farmers, ranchers, and producers who make up our agricultural sector and the farmworkers, grocery store workers, packers, shippers, and processors who ensure our food system operates have the resources and support they need to thrive.” He is one of five nominees in category.
In response, Luján said, “In a country as abundant as the United States, allowing our friends, family, and neighbors to go hungry is a policy decision, not an inevitability. SNAP is our best tool in the fight against hunger, helping millions of Americans — including one in five New Mexicans — put food on the table. I look forward to continuing the work to fight hunger and ensure no family in America goes hungry.”
Luján, Riley and the team at Bow & Arrow are invited to attend the final awards in Chicago later this year where winners in each category will be announced.