The owner of yuanwonton was named the best chef in the mountain U.S. by the James Beard Awards on Monday night, earning the nod after being nominated three years in a row. Penelope Wong, a Denver native, opened Yuan Wonton in 2019 with her husband Rob Jenks and sous chef Ngoc Nguyen. The dumpling shop was still a food truck when James Beard first considered her for the prestigious regional culinary award as a semifinalist in 2023. Read our story at the link in our bio. 📝: Miguel Otárola, The Denver Post 📷: AAron Ontiveroz, The Denver Post // aaronontiveroz #JamesBeard #JamesBeardAward #Foodstagram #DenverFood