The James Beard Awards dropped their list of restaurant and chef semifinalists today. The DC area has a decent showing, though slightly fewer nominations than last year.
Scott Drewno and Danny Lee of Fried Rice Collective (Anju, Chiko, and I Egg You) are again nominated for Outstanding Restaurateur. Peter Pastan of beloved Cathedral Heights pizzeria 2Amys is a contender for Outstanding Chef. Chic CityCenterDC Italian restaurant Centrolina—whose chef Amy Brandwein is a repeat nominee for various categories—is up for Outstanding Restaurant. Anthony Jones of the brand-new Marcus DC gets a nod in the category of Emerging Chef. And Paris-inspired Adams Morgan wine bar Maison Bar à Vin is up for Best New Restaurant.
DC has the most nominations for Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic. Some were semifinalists last year: Cucina Morini’s Matt Adler, 2Fifty BBQ’s Fernando Gonzalez, and My Little Chamomile/Green Almond Pantry’s Cagla Onal-Urel. But there are plenty of new faces in the mix too, including Beteseb’s Darmyelesh Alemu, Ama’s Johanna Hellrigl, Tapori’s Suresh Sundas, and Mita’s Miguel Guerra and Tatiana Mora.
Also representing DC: Moon Rabbit’s Susan Bae for Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker, Bresca for Outstanding Hospitality, Maxwell Park’s Brent Kroll for Outstanding Professional in Beverage Service, and Service Bar’s Christine Kim for Outstanding Professional in Cocktail Service.
Finalists will be announced on March 31, winners will be awarded during a ceremony in Chicago on June 15. See the full list of semifinalists here.
Outstanding Restaurateur
Scott Drewno and Danny Lee, Fried Rice Collective (Anju, Chiko, and I Egg You)
Outstanding Chef
Peter Pastan, 2 Amys
Outstanding Restaurant
Centrolina
Emerging Chef
Anthony Jones, Marcus DC
Best New Restaurant
Maison Bar à Vin
Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker
Susan Bae, Moon Rabbit
Outstanding Hospitality
Bresca
Outstanding Professional in Beverage Service
Brent Kroll, Maxwell Park
Outstanding Professional in Cocktail Service
Christine Kim, Service Bar
Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic (DC, DE, MD, NJ, PA, VA)
Matthew Adler, Cucina Morini
Darmyelesh Alemu, Beteseb
Fernando Gonzalez, 2Fifty BBQ
Miguel Guerra and Tatiana Mora, Mita
Johanna Hellrigl, Ama
Cagla Onal-Urel, My Little Chamomile
Suresh Sundas, Tapori
Jessica Sidman covers the people and trends behind DC’s food and drink scene. Before joining Washingtonian in July 2016, she was Food Editor and Young & Hungry columnist at Washington City Paper. She is a Colorado native and University of Pennsylvania grad.
