Baltimore Chef Named Finalist For 2017 James Beard Award

BALTIMORE, MD — Executive Chef Cindy Wolf is now a six-time finalist for the James Beard Award for the Best Chef in the Mid-Atlantic.

The James Beard Foundation annually recognizes restaurants, chefs, bakers and sommeliers for culinary achievements around the country. The Mid-Atlantic category encompasses Maryland, Delaware, the District of Columbia, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Virginia.

Wolf is executive chef for the Charleston restaurant. She co-owns a group of Baltimore eateries that also includes Cinghiale, Petit Louis Bistro and Johnny’s.

There are four other chefs competing against Wolf for the Best Chef in the Mid-Atlantic Award for 2017. Here are the finalists:

• Cindy Wolf, Charleston, Baltimore
• Amy Brandwein, Centrolina, Washington, D.C.
• Tom Cunanan, Bad Saint, Washington, D.C.
• Rich Landau, Vedge, Philadelphia
• Greg Vernick, Vernick Food and Drink, Philadelphia

Chefs are nominated if they have set "new or consistent standards of excellence in their respective regions," according to the James Beard Foundation. Contenders must have been chefs for at least five years, including three regionally.

A panel of more than 600 judges — mainly restaurant critics, food and wine editors, culinary educators and past James Beard Award recipients — will whittle down the list to determine the winners.

The Charleston was a semifinalist for its wine program but did not make it to the finals.

The winners of the James Beard Awards will be announced May 1.

Related: Full List of Baltimore's 2017 James Beard Award Semifinalists

File photo.