Princeton Chef Named Semifinalist for James Beard Foundation Award

Princeton, NJ -- One of the best chefs in America is in Princeton.

Elements chef and co-owner Scott Anderson is one of the James Beard Foundation’s semi-finalists for Best Chef in the Mid-Atlantic Region, according to eater.com. Anderson was also a semifinalist for this award in 2013 and 2014.

The award is for “chefs who have set new or consistent standards of excellence in their respective regions.”

Candidates can be from any kind of dining establishment, but they must have worked as a chef for at least five years, with the three most recent coming in the region in which they are nominated.

Anderson and Stephen Distler opened Elements, located at 66 Witherspoon Street, in 2008.

“Modernist technique and superlative ingredients take root and flourish in downtown Princeton,” Elements states on its website.

Fresh ingredients are sourced from local farmers and producers, using “progressive, modern techniques to draw out the purest flavors, and transform classic dishes into something completely new.”

Anderson is described on the website as “a vanguard of modern global-American cuisine.”

He spent part of his childhood in Japan, where he developed his interest in the culinary arts. He brought what he learned in Japan home with him to his native New Jersey.

The James Beard Foundation will release this year’s list of finalists on March 15, and will announce the winner in this category on May 2.

The attached image was posted on elementsprinceton.com.