Just a month ago the James Beard Foundation announced its long list of semifinalists for the 2014 Restaurant and Chef awards. Local toques and eateries fared well in the initial round, with 19 contenders in the mix.
A final list of nominees was announced from Chicago on March 18. Sadly, not everyone mentioned above made the next round. Only two Washington nominees for Best Chef Mid-Atlantic—far fewer categories than last year—will be up for awards: Cathal Armstrong (Restaurant Eve) and Vikram Sunderam (Rasika). Baltimore chefs are also contenders, including Spike Gjerde (Woodberry Kitchen) and Cindy Wolf (Charleston). Armstrong, Sunderam, and Gjerde were all finalists last year, alongside Komi’s Johnny Monis, who took home the title.
The James Beard finalists for Broadcast and New Media, Book, and Journalism awards were also announced, and we at Washingtonian are very honored to be counted among the many talented publications to be recognized; our Taste section is a finalist for food coverage in a general-interest publication for the second year in a row.
The awards will be announced at a gala in New York on May 2 and 5. Visit the James Beard Foundation website to watch a live-stream of the ceremony.
Good luck to all of the finalists!
Anna Spiegel covers the dining and drinking scene in her native DC. Prior to joining Washingtonian in 2010, she attended the French Culinary Institute and Columbia University’s MFA program in New York, and held various cooking and writing positions in NYC and in St. John, US Virgin Islands.
