The return of Rikki Giambruno (above) to Minnesota has so far been a delicious homecoming. After spending most of his 20s building a culinary career in Brooklyn, he’s back in his home state with Hyacinth, a forward-thinking Italian restaurant in St. Paul’s Summit Hill neighborhood. And he integrated his family and friends—old New York coworker Paul Baker is the chef de cuisine, you can drink beer from Giambruno’s brother Joe’s Bad Weather Brewing, and sister Gina helped develop the visual aesthetic.

Along with the Bird's Shannel Winkel (interview here) and Lat14's Joshua Walbolt (interview here), Giambruno’s creativity and drive have landed him a Rising Star award nomination (chefs must be under 30 to be eligible) at this year’s Twin Cities Charlie Awards, coming up January 27. (See all nominees here.)