STORY AND PHOTO BY KAREN BOSSICK

The Pioneer Saloon—a veritable institution in Ketchum—has won a James Beard Award awarded to restaurants across the nation who display exceptional achievement in the culinary arts.

The Pioneer Saloon, considered a must visit for vacationers and a beloved watering hole for locals, is one of six restaurants honored with the 2025 America’s Classics Award.

The award is given to locally owned restaurants with timeless appeal that serve quality food and are beloved by their communities, the James Beard Foundation said when announcing the award.

The Pioneer Saloon has retained its rustic character through remodels and additions.

 Duffy Witmer said the award came as a complete surprise.

“We were totally caught off guard, we were overwhelmed, we were humbled. We realize it’s a combination of the state of Idaho—how great our state is, how unique and fantastic Ketchum is. It’s the employees, the hundreds of thousands of people who have come to the Pioneer over the years. We’re the only restaurant in the entire state to have won the James Beard restaurant award, one of only 85 in history, one of six this year—and some of those who have won it have been in business for 114 years.”

Witmer added that he’s only now beginning to realize how big the award is.

“I’m finding out that for the past couple years there have been a bunch of sneaker shopper-type diners—more than 40 altogether—sent by the Foundation to come in an evaluate us. They were sent by the Foundation, they didn’t say who they were but they just wanted to get a flavor for it,” he said.

Longhorn, moose, bison—you’ll find all kinds of trophy mounts throughout the restaurant.

The PIO, as it’s called by those in the know, was built in the 1940s as a casino. It has retained its rich, historic atmosphere through countless remodels.

It’s known for “its delectable, locally sourced steaks paired with a massive Idaho potato,” the Foundation said. “Capturing the spirit of the American West, this saloon blends rustic charm with warm hospitality, making it the perfect spot to hunker down for the night and enjoy a hearty meal.”

The Foundation gave a shoutout to the restaurants’ Jim Spud, a baked potato heaped with teriyaki beef, along with other toppings and cheese; its smoked Idaho trout, steamed artichoke and shrimp cocktail and such cocktails as Hemingway’s Margarita and the Wild Lupine.

The restaurant features memorabilia from Ernest Hemingway’s time in Sun Valley, Western posters and art, Native American artifacts, Western saddles and bison and other trophy heads.

Western posters give diners something to feast their eyes on while awaiting their barbecued ribs.

Duffy Witmer and Sheila Witmer bought the Pioneer Saloon in 1986, after Duffy worked for the previous owner.

“Together with their children, Alyson, Chloe, and Dillon, along with current general manager Chris Saxton, they strive to honor this historical gem while infusing fresh ideas into Ketchum's restaurant scene,” the James Beard Foundation noted.

America’s Classics Award were first handed out in 1998.

Also receiving the award this year were Dooky Chase, a cornerstone of Creole cuisine and Black American culture in New Orleans; Gaido’s, which serves up Gulf Coast redfish and catfish in Galveston, Texas, and Lem’s Bar-B-Q, which has been serving hickory-flavored rib tips for 70 years in Chicago.

Native American artifacts and Hemingway memorabilia can be found on the walls.

Also, Sullivan’s Castle Island, which opened as a hot dog stand in 1951 in Boston and is now known for its double smash burgers, lobster rolls and crinkle cut fries, and Lucky Wishbone, an Anchorage, Alaska, restaurant, with an aviation theme that serves cheeseburgers, thighs and drumsticks using a century-old family recipe.

The six restaurants will be feted with James Beard Restaurant and Chef Award winners June 16 at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.

Witmer said he will be there with the whole family, grandkids included: “This is a once-in-a-lifetime thing.”

The Pioneer Saloon is the only restaurant in Idaho to have won a James Beard Award. Kris Komori, co-owner of Kin in downtown Boise, is the only Idaho chef to have won a James Beard Award, honored in the best Chef Mountain region category which covers Idaho, Montana, Colorado, Utah and Wyoming in 2023.

Benjamin Barlow of the Stanley Supper Club was nominated for the award last year. And he’s received a second nomination this year after being applauded for his fried chicken that The New York Times was one of the “26 Best Dishes We Ate Across the U.S. in 2024.”

“This year we’re not as blindsided by the announcement, but it still feels wild!” Barlow wrote on the restaurant’s Facebook page.

Barlow is one of five Idaho chefs who have been named semifinalists for the 2025 James Beard Awards. Other semi-finalists are Cal Elliott of The Avery in downtown Boise; Remi Courcenet and Nathan Whitley of Terroir Bistro in downtown Boise, and Salvador Alamilla of Amano Mexican restaurant in Caldwell.

To become eligible, candidates need either to enter their own work with an application fee of $85 or become nominated through a Call for Recommendations from leaders in the restaurant world. Awards are voted on by more than 600 culinary professionals, including previous award winners who cannot be nominated within five years of winning.

The Restaurant and Chef Awards, which have been awarded since 1990, are likened to the Lombardi Trophy of football or the Oscars of the culinary world.

The awards are named after James Beard, considered the father of American gastronomy who was known for his iconic book Beard on Bread: A cookbook and his Easy Zucchini Bread. Beard launched New York City’s Four Seasons Restaurant in 1959 and had his own restaurant on Nantucket.