Somerville Chef 2018 James Beard Award Finalist

SOMERVILLE, MA – The James Beard Foundation this week released its list of finalists for national and regional chef and restaurant awards. For the second consecutive year, Somerville's own Cassie Piuma is one of five finalists for best chef in the Northeast region, which includes Massachusetts, New York, Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont.

Together with Ana Sortun, Piuma runs the kitchen at Sarma, which serves Mediterranean and Middle Eastern-inspired fare. She was named a finalist for "Best in the Northeast" last year, but the award ultimately went to Andrew Taylor and Mike Wiley of Eventide Oyster Co. in Portland, ME.

This year's winners will be announced May 1 in Chicago, according to the James Beard Foundation.

Founded in 1986, the James Beard Foundation celebrates, nurtures, and honors chefs and other leaders making America's food culture more delicious, diverse, and sustainable for everyone. A cookbook author and teacher with an encyclopedic knowledge about food, the late James Beard was a champion of American cuisine.

He helped educate and mentor generations of professional chefs and food enthusiasts, instilling in them the value of wholesome, healthful, and delicious food. Today JBF continues in the same spirit by administering a number of diverse programs that include educational initiatives, food industry awards, scholarships for culinary students, publications, chef advocacy training, and thought-leader conventions.

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