These Washington restaurants, chefs are semifinalists for esteemed James Beard awards
The film industry has the Oscars. There are Emmy Awards for television and Grammy Awards for music.
The culinary industry has the James Beard awards.
Seventeen restaurants and chefs in Washington landed spots as semifinalists for the 2022 prestigious awards. Many of the nominees are in Seattle, but the list includes a Spokane and Lopez Island chef, as well as a restaurant in Orcas Island.
- Outstanding Restaurant: The Walrus and the Carpenter, Seattle
- Outstanding Chef: Rachel Yang and Seif Chirchi, Joule, Seattle
- Emerging Chef: Kristi Brown, Communion, Seattle
- Best New Restaurant: Matia Kitchen & Bar, Orcas Island
- Outstanding Baker: Pamela Vuong, The Flour Box, Seattle
- Outstanding Hospitality: Bar del Corso, Seattle
- Outstanding Wine Program: Tomo, Seattle
Best Chef Northwest and Pacific:
- Nick Coffey, Ursa Minor, Lopez Island
- Erasto Jackson, Lil Red’s Takeout and Catering, Seattle
- Liz Kenyon, Rupee Bar, Seattle
- Melissa Miranda, Musang, Seattle
- David Nichols, Eight Row, Seattle
- Brandon Pettit, Delancey, Seattle
- Mutsuko Soma, Kamonegi, Seattle
- Aaron Verzosa, Archipelago, Seattle
- Chad White, Zona Blanca, Spokane, WA
Finalists will be honored on June 13 at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.
The James Beard Foundation halted the 2020 and 2021 ceremonies because of the COVID-19 pandemic’s devastating impacts on the restaurant and hospitality industry.
But the pandemic wasn’t the only factor.
Final 2020 results didn’t include a single Black chef across 23 categories, The New York Times reported. And some chefs withdrew their names to make a point, Eater reported.
So the culinary organization decided to work with a social justice agency to “remove any systemic bias, increase the diversity of the pool of candidates, maintain relevance.”
The goal was to award nominees who aligned with the foundation’s values of “equity, equality, sustainability, and excellence for the restaurant industry.”
This story was originally published February 23, 2022 at 4:28 PM with the headline "These Washington restaurants, chefs are semifinalists for esteemed James Beard awards."
