SEATTLE — A Seattle pho staple earned a James Beard Award nominee for the second straight year in the Outstanding Restaurateur category.
Quynh-Vy and Yenvy Pham were named finalists for their restaurants Phở Bắc Súp Shop, Phởcific Standard Time, and The Boat.
Phở Bắc, which the family says is Seattle’s original pho shop, has been around since 1982. Before it became a pho restaurant, it was known as Cat’s Submarines after the Pham matriarch. For the first few months after the restaurant opened on Rainier Avenue and Jackson Street, it served cold-cut American sandwiches. The Phams started cooking pho on weekends for Vietnamese customers looking for a taste of home, and it was a hit. Within a year, the cold-cut sandwiches were “obsolete,” according to the restaurant’s website.
The Phams have since opened the cocktail bar Phởcific Standard Time in Denny Triangle. Chicken joint The Boat opened in the original Phở Bắc location, and Phở Bắc Súp Shop now operates nearby.
The James Beard Awards, which were first awarded in 1991, recognize achievement in culinary arts, as well as a commitment to equity, community and sustainability. They are among the most prestigious honors in the restaurant industry.
The 2024 winners will be announced during an awards ceremony in Chicago on June 10.
The Phams are among several other Washington state restaurants and chefs who were named finalists for a James Beard Award this year. Other finalists include the following:
Emerging Chef: Janet Becerra, Pancita in Seattle
Best New Restaurant: Bar Bacetto in Waitsburg
Best Chef in the Northwest and Pacific region:
- Avery Adams, Matia Kitchen in Orcas Island
- Kristi Brown, Communion in Seattle
- Melissa Miranda, Musang in Seattle
