James Beard Awards Declares Multiple Philadelphian Finalists

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Restaurants and Chefs work hard year round, not only for the retention of customers, but to be nationally recognized amongst peers with one of the highest culinary awards there is to have. The James Beard Foundation announced the finalists for the 2023 Restaurant and Chef Awards on Wednesday in Nashville, Tennessee.

The James Beard Foundation was founded more than 30 years ago, after James Beard’s death, “to celebrate, support and elevate the people behind America’s food culture”. Beard hosted the first food program on netowork television,  “I Love to Eat,” in 1946. Beard was deemed the “Dean of American Cookery” by The New York Times in 1954. This paved the way for him as an authorized figure in the food industry, in which the first James Beard awards ceremony was held in 1991.

Multiple Philadelphian Chefs were recognized in the revealing of finalists. One of those finalist was Chad Williams, chef at Philadelphia Restaurant finalist Friday Saturday Sunday. Williams spoke on his tenacity, being foward thinking and always finding a way to stay in the race, and finding a way to make it work, no matter how bad it looks. “I came up in Michelin-star kitchens and … they were aggressive and much of what made them great was not the attitudes that were pushed there … there’s other ways to do it,” Williams said. “As we try to maintain our reputation and put out great food, there’s also people behind that who you have to take care of.”

Click out the chef/restaurant finalist titles to learn more about there establishments and the different cuisines they have to offer!

Outstanding Restaurant- Friday Saturday Sunday

Emerging Chef- Amanda Shulman, Her Place Supper Club

Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic- Dionicio Jiménez, Cantina La Martina

The winners of the restaurant and chef categories will be announced on June 5 during a live ceremony at the Lyric Opera in Chicago.

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