Maine is fielding a strong group of semifinalists across a range of categories in the prestigious James Beard 2024 Restaurant and Chef Awards.
The annual awards are a program of the James Beard Foundation, headquartered in New York.
Semifinalists include Cara Stadler and Cecile Stadler of BaoBao Dumpling House in Portland and Tao Yuan Restaurant and ZaoZe Cafe & Market in Brunswick, who made the “Outstanding Restaurateur” list. The category recognizes restaurateurs who use their establishments as a vehicle for building community, demonstrate creativity in entrepreneurship and integrity in restaurant operations, and are making efforts to create a sustainable work culture while contributing positively to their broader community.
Joe Robbins of Bissell Brothers Three Rivers Kitchen in the Piscataquis County town of Milo is in the “Emerging Chef” category, which recognizes chefs who display “exceptional talent, character and leadership ability” and are likely “to make a significant impact in years to come while contributing positively to their broader community.”
From the Lincoln County town of Alna, the Alna Store made the “Best New Restaurant” category, a competition for restaurants that opened between Oct. 1, 2022, and Sept. 30, 2023. The judging criteria include excellence in cuisine, the likelihood of making a significant impact in years to come, and demonstrating “consistent excellence in food, atmosphere, hospitality and operations” while contributing positively to the broader community.
Portland bakeries got two nods. ZU Bakery, owned by Barak Olins, is a semifinalist in the “Outstanding Bakery” category for production of “breads, pastries or desserts that demonstrates consistent excellence in food, atmosphere, hospitality and operations while contributing positively to its broader community.”
Atsuko Fujimoto of Norimoto Bakery was nominated as “Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker” as a candidate who “demonstrates exceptional skills and can be affiliated with any food business and does not need a brick-and-mortar presence” and “contributes positively to their broader community.”
Woodford Food & Beverage in Portland is in the “Outstanding Hospitality” category for fostering “a sense of hospitality among its customers and staff that serves as a beacon for the community and demonstrates consistent excellence in food, atmosphere, hospitality, and operations, while contributing positively to its broader community.”
Four people, all working for Portland food establishments, made the cut for the category of “Best Chef in the Northeast,” which includes Maine, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont and Rhode Island:
- Celia Bruns, Artemisia Cafe
- Ian Driscoll, Bar Futo
- Valerie Goldman, the Honey Paw,
- Jake Stevens, Leeward
Nominees will be named April 3 and winners will be announced June 10 at the James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards ceremony in Chicago.
The awards were established in 1990 and first presented in 1991.
