May 20, 2026

This piece is sponsored by Pendar Properties.

When a delegation from the James Beard Foundation is impressed by the local food scene, it’s an endorsement worth sharing.

Recently, a group from the organization known for recognizing excellence in food visited Sioux Falls for a round table in partnership with Invest in Our Land. It drew local producers and chefs, focusing on how extreme weather affects the area’s agriculture and restaurant industries.

Hosted at Monick Yards, it drew broad participation — but also served as a spark to bring the local food community closer together.

“The James Beard team was going to three or four communities, and it was their first time ever in Sioux Falls,” said T.R. Fuentes-Mckenzie, executive chef at Pomegranate Market.

“I think they were wowed by how many people turned out, and they got a sense that we know what we’re doing. Our local food scene understands this. We have chefs using local producers, and they were all in the room.”

Chef Marcela Salas, co-owner of BibiSol and a James Beard semifinalist for emerging chef, was among the chefs providing food for the round table event.

“We featured a corn grown in Brandon and did our nixtamal process that BibiSol is known for to make taquitos and served beef from Svec Farm,” she said. “I was familiar with the James Beard Foundation, and it was so nice of them to come get to know our local food scene. They mentioned how much is going on and how many local producers there are and how much opportunity there is.”

Local chefs now are hoping to further harness that potential. They have started a regular meetup at Startup Sioux Falls at 6 p.m. on the second Monday of each month.

“We met recently to talk about where we go from here, and I think there are multiple areas we can explore,” Fuentes-Mckenzie said.

“We talked about how we can recognize restaurants that work with local producers. I want more of them to buy local. I understand why they don’t because it’s harder, but honestly as a chef, working with local producers makes my job easier. The food is fresh, it tastes better, and I can tell a story with it because I’ve been to the farms and know the producers.”

Salas has had the same experience.

“Since South Dakota is seasonal, it can really change during the year, but usually at any time we can work with at least five local producers, and during the summer it can be a lot more,” she said.

“There are organizations bringing producers together, but there also are a lot of smaller ones that don’t necessarily have a platform, so we’re looking at ways to uplift all local producers. It will mean more commerce being made in our community, and it’s more impactful to our microeconomy.”

The local food scene is central to developments such as Cherapa Place, said Anne Haber, co-owner of property developer Pendar Properties.

“We look to partner with local chefs in our buildings,” she said. “We’re excited by the success of BibiSol at The Carpenter Building and anticipate the same at Cherapa Place, where our residents and visitors can find incredible local food choices all throughout the development.”

Local chefs at Cherapa Place include:

• Devon Giesen at Rivage Oak Kitchen
• Bryan Moscatello at HK, Nunzios and BlackFork Farms Tasting Room
• David Napolitano at Breadico Cafe
• T.R. Fuentes-Mckenzie at Pomegranate Market

“Each one of these chefs also has put together an amazing team inside the kitchen and serving guests,” Haber said.

Farmers market

The “farm-to-table” theme continues at Cherapa Place all summer with the launch of a weekday farmers market.

Find it this Friday, May 22, from 4 to 7 p.m., along Reid Street just outside of Pomegranate Market.