Local chef Kayla Pfeiffer is among 20 semifinalists for the Emerging Chef award for the James Beard Awards, considered to be among the nation’s most prestigious honors that recognize exceptional talent in the culinary and food media industries.
The executive chef and co-owner at Bicyclette Cookshop in North Naples won the “Chopped” championship on the Food Network’s Season 56 finale show that aired in January 2024.
Pfeiffer had executive chef positions at The French and Bar Tulia Mercato before partnering with Paul Fleming Restaurants to create a new coastal Chinese concept, PJK Chinese. The Greenwich, Connecticut, native then teamed up with Louie Mele, an industry veteran and longtime mentor, to reimagine his Fit & Fuel Cafe, which they renamed and reopened as Bicyclette Cookshop in fall 2023.
The Restaurant and Chef Award finalists will be announced on April 2, and winners will be celebrated at the James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards ceremony June 16 at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.
