SEATTLE — The James Beard Awards, the culinary world’s equivalent of the Oscars, will recognize restaurants and chefs in 22 categories at a ceremony set for Monday in Chicago.
That includes eight restaurants in Washington state vying for the annual honors bestowed by the James Beard Foundation.
For restaurants, just being a finalist can bring wide recognition and boost business. Restaurant awards have become less common in recent years, giving the James Beard Awards even more weight, said Paul Freedman, a Yale University professor whose expertise includes food history.
The owners of Seattle-based restaurants Phở Bắc Súp Shop, Phởcific Standard Time, and The Boat -- Quynh-Vy and Yenvy Pham -- are finalists for the Outstanding Restaurateur category. The duo also was among the top candidates for the same category in 2023.
The Phams are credited with bringing the first Pho shop to Seattle in the 1980s.
“It’s wild,” Yenvy Pham told the Associated Press. “It’s a great honor.”
Janet Becerra of Seattle's Pancita is a finalist for Emerging Chef. The Best Chef category features three local finalists, including Avery Adams of Matia Kitchen on Orcas Island, Kristi Brown of Seattle's Communion and Melissa Miranda from Musang in the Beacon Hill neighborhood of Seattle.
Further east in Waitsburg is Bar Bacetto, which is a finalist for Best New Restaurant. Started by former Seattle restaurateurs Mike and Erin Easton, Bar Bacetto was one of just two establishments in the state to land on the New York Times' "Restaurant List" of 50 places it was "most excited about" in the country.
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