The finalists for the biggest awards in the food industry are out, and D.C. is represented on the list of 2019 James Beard Award nominees.
Jaleo is in the running for this year’s Outstanding Restaurant award, alongside Balthazar in New York; FIG in Charleston, South Carolina; Quince in San Francisco; and Zahav in Philadelphia.
Pichet Ong of Brothers and Sisters is a finalist in the Outstanding Pastry Chef category, and Kwame Onwuachi of Kith and Kin is nominated for Rising Star Chef of the Year.
Both Amy Brandwein (Centrolina) and Tom Cunanan (Bad Saint) are finalists for Best Chef: mid-Atlantic. The Inn at Little Washington’s chef and proprietor Patrick O’Connell will receive the James Beard Foundation Lifetime Achievement award; Annie’s Paramount Steakhouse was named one of the 2019 James Beard Foundation America’s Classics.
D.C. had semifinalists in the categories of Best New Restaurant (Elle and Spoken English), Outstanding Bar Program (Columbia Room), Outstanding Chef (Vikram Sunderam and Fabio Trabocchi), Outstanding Restaurateur (Ruth Gresser), Outstanding Service (Marcel’s and Peking Gourmet Inn) and Outstanding Wine Program (Tail Up Goat).
James Beard Award winners will be announced at the May 6 gala in Chicago.
