The Beard Awards are one of the nation's highest honors for restaurateurs, chefs and restaurants, celebrating excellence in food, service, hospitality and business. The finalists were announced Wednesday morning at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in Washington, D.C., making it a particularly celebratory event for local residents. There were more finalists from this region than many other acclaimed restaurants, including San Francisco, Seattle, or Manhattan and Brooklyn combined.
Other nominees for Best Chef in the region are Tony Conte of Inferno Pizzeria Napoletana in Durnesstown, Maryland, and Harley Peet of Bass Rouge in Easton, Maryland. Moon Rabbit's Tien is a 2018 Rising Star Chef of the Year nominee, as the restaurant closes its Wharf location in May 2023 and reopens near Gallery Place in January. It became a local topic of conversation.
Mr Bae, pastry chef at Moon Rabbit, said he was shocked but also excited to learn of his nomination and hoped for the best at the final awards ceremony. “This takes a lot of effort, not only from me, but also from my colleagues. We gave our all, and that's what projected us into this trajectory,” she said. At the ceremony. “I think my desserts are original. I incorporate a lot of delicious elements. I think it's unique and something everyone might want to experience.”
Michael Rafidi of the Navy Yard's fireplace-filled Middle Eastern restaurant Albi has been named a finalist for the National Outstanding Chef Award. Mr. Rafidi, who also owns Georgetown's Yellow His Cafe and Navy Yard, was a finalist in the 2023 Mid-Atlantic Best Chef category. (Rob Luba of Oyster Oyster won his 2023 Outstanding Chef Award.) Winning this award would be consecutive wins for area chefs. )
Chef Masako Morishita of Perry's, Adams Morgan's Japanese fusion restaurant, has been nominated in the Emerging Chef category, which recognizes chefs judged by the Beard Foundation to be “likely to have a significant impact in the coming years.” Morishita told Post food critic Tom Sitsema that there is a sense of adventure in her cooking, a quality she learned from her grandmother. Sytsema has found that her dishes, including heart-shaped okonomiyaki, are bringing life to Perry's, which will celebrate its 40th anniversary in 2024.
The awards also recognized the excellence of local spirits. Adams Morgan's Tail Up His Goat was nominated as a finalist for Outstanding Wine and Other Beverage Program, and Baltimore's Clavel Her Mezcaleria was nominated for Outstanding Bar. Both Clavel Mezcaleria and Tail Up Goat have been nominated several times in various categories, but this is the first time Tail Up Goat has been nominated in the spirits category, which has not previously been nominated for the chef's achievements. I did. Owner and beverage director Bill Jensen attributes this year's nomination to the restaurant's commitment to finding what he calls “underrated” wines.
“We've been open for eight years, and our wine program has evolved significantly in that time,” Jensen says. “[What sets us apart is] A desire to explore lesser-known corners of the wine world and a passion for wine as part of a fulfilling life. We are especially proud of our wine pairings. Many sommeliers prefer the poop and poo combination, and it's one of the things we're most proud of. I truly feel that wine and non-alcoholic pairings add immeasurably to the experience. ”
On the business side, Hollis Wells Silverman of Eastern Point Collective was nominated for the Outstanding Restaurateur Award, which recognizes excellence in restaurant ownership and community building. Eastern Point Collective's restaurants include Duck & the Peach and La Colina, Wells Cocktail Bar in Eastern His Market, and Meri in Adams Morgan.
Lindsay Ovkacek and Edward Lee of the Lee Initiative, a nonprofit organization dedicated to diversity and inclusion in the restaurant industry, also received the 2024 Humanitarian of the Year award. Although his original restaurant is in Louisville, Lee is the culinary director of Succotash in Penn Quarter and National Harbor, and the Lee Initiative will open a non-profit called M. Francis in the Union Market District later this year. We are planning to open a restaurant.
Fritz Hahn contributed to this report.
