Community Corner
2 Of The Best Chefs In The Northeast Are In Connecticut
Two Connecticut chefs were semifinalists for the James Beard Foundation Awards, the so-called Oscars for restaurants.
Foodies rejoice: you have some new restaurants to seek out. The semifinalists for this year’s James Beard Foundation Awards — dubbed the Oscars for restaurants — have been released and two Connecticut chefs made the list.
The awards across 21 categories for national and regional chef and restaurant awards were released on Thursday. Categories include best new restaurant, best chef, outstanding baker and outstanding service, among others.
Out of more than 20,000 entrants, two from Connecticut made the list in the Best Chef: Northeast (CT, MA, ME, NH, NY State, RI, VT) category:
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Tyler Anderson
Millwright’s
Simsbury
Brian Lewis
The Cottage
Westport
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According to CT Now, Anderson is not only the chef-owner of Millwright’s in Simsbury but also the co-owner of The Cook and the Bear in West Hartford. This is the fifth straight year he has been nominated.
Anderson also recently competed on the 15th season of Bravo’s “Top Chef.” He was ultimately eliminated from the competition in December.
Lewis is the chef-owner of The Cottage, which he opened in 2015 in the spot previously occupied by Bill Taibe's Le Farm, according to CT Now. He is is currently planning to open a second restaurant in Westport within the next couple of months.
The foundation holds an online open call for entries every year. A committee reviews thousands of entries to come up with a nominating ballot of semifinalists in each category.
An independent volunteer panel of more than 600 judges — comprised of top regional restaurant critics, food and wine editors, culinary educators, and past winners — then votes on specific award categories to determine the final five nominees in each category.
They then vote on these five nominees to select the winners.
The foundation will announce the final nominees on the morning of March 14 at Parc in Philadelphia. The event will be live-streamed.
The winners will be announced at Pier Sixty at Chelsea Piers in New York City on April 27. They’ll receive a certificate and a medallion engraved with the James Beard Foundation Awards insignia. There are no cash prizes.
Click here to see the full list of awards.
Photo credit: Shutterstock
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