The James Beard Awards, one of the most prestigious ceremonies in the food world, went down on Monday in New York City, with a local chef taking home a coveted title. Vikram Sunderam, the longtime Rasika/Rasika West End toque, claimed the prize for Best Chef Mid-Atlantic. Sunderam beat out other area finalists for the accolade, including Restaurant Eve’s Cathal Armstrong and Baltimore chefs Spike Gjerde (Woodberry Kitchen) and Cindy Wolf (Charleston). A full list of winners can be seen here.
This isn’t Sunderam’s first time at the Beards. The Mumbai, India-born toque was also a finalist in 2009, 2012, and 2013 (Komi’s Johnny Monis took home the win last year). Armstrong has been a Best Chef Mid-Atlantic finalist for the past eight years running.
In the Broadcast and New Media, Book, and Journalism awards held Friday, Washingtonian’s Taste section was recognized as a finalist for Food Coverage in a General-Interest Publication. The Wall Street Journal won the category.
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.
