Jeremy Broucek, the executive chef at Portland's Bread and Friends, whose creative dinner dishes range from sunchokes and truffles to dry-aged duck breast with roasted beets, is in the running for a James Beard Award in 2026.
Broucek is among seven Maine semifinalists across various categories in the prestigious James Beard 2026 Restaurant and Chef Awards. The James Beard Foundation released its list of semifinalists this week for what some refer to as the Oscars of the food world.
Bread & Friends is located at 505 Fore St. in Portland. PHOTO / ALEXIS WELLS
Broucek is one of five Maine contenders for "Best Chef: Northeast."Â The others are Chris Gould of Central Provisions in Portland; Sara Jenkins of Nina June in Rockport; Jake Stevens of Leeward in Portland; and Thomas Takashi Cooke of Izakaya Minato in Portland.
Night Moves Bread, an artisanal bakery in South Portland that sources grains from farms in Maine, is a semifinalist for the "Best Bakery" category.
And longtime Portland restaurant owner Dana Street, founder of Fore Street, Scales, Standard Banking Co. and Street & Co., is a semifinalist for "Outstanding Restaurateur."
Nominees will be named on March 31, and winners will be announced on June 16 in a ceremony at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.
The awards were established in 1990 and first presented in 1991.
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