The James Beard Foundation announced on Wednesday its list of semifinalists for its annual food awards. This year marks the 35th anniversary of the Beards, sometimes called the Oscars of the food industry. They include the following Philadelphia restaurants and chefs:
Outstanding Chef
Greg Vernick, Vernick Fish
Outstanding Restaurant
Emerging Chef
Phila Lorn, Mawn
Outstanding Bakery
Outstanding Hospitality
Outstanding Wine and Beverage
Outstanding Bar
The Lovers Bar at Friday Saturday Sunday
Best New Bar (new category)
Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic
Yun Fuentes, Bolo
Jesse Ito, Royal Sushi & Izakaya
Amanda Shulman, Her Place Supper Club
This collection is about as robust as last year’s semifinalist list, however, those contenders were whittled down to a sole finalist, Japanese hot spot Royal Sushi & Izakaya, up for Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic. (The winner of that category last year was Harley Peet, executive chef at Bas Rouge in Easton, Maryland.) Before that, 2023 included six finalists and three winners.
In the coming months, judges will narrow down to a list of finalists announced on April 2. After that, the Foundation will announce the Restaurant and Chef Awards at the Lyric Opera of Chicago on June 16. Before that, they’ll announce America’s Classics Award, honoring “locally owned restaurants with timeless appeal,” in late February.
This is the Foundation’s fourth ceremony after an internal audit in 2021, which resulted in new protocols, including different ways of finding talent and new award categories. The awards were back in the spotlight last year, too, after one chef was disqualified from the category they were nominated for and another nominee was investigated for their personal posts on social media.
Take a look at the full list of semifinalists here.
Disclosure: Some Vox Media staff members are part of the voting body for the James Beard Awards.
