Local Chefs Semifinalists In James Beard Awards Competition

SHELTER ISLAND, NY — A pair of Shelter Island chefs have put the North Fork on the culinary map: The pair was nominated for, and are now semifinalists in, the prestigious 2018 James Beard Awards competition.

Elizabeth Ronzetti and Adam Kopels, co-owners and chefs at 18 Bay, were nominated in the category "Best Chefs Northeast."

"We are so thrilled, honored and excited to be nominated for such a prestigious award," the duo told Patch this week.

18 Bay, they said, opened on Shelter Island in 2011 after moving from Bayville, offering a four course chefs' menu that changes every week and finds its inspiration in bountiful local harvests.

"The menu is a reflection of where we live. We work with local farmers and purchase all of our fish from Charlie Manwaring at Southold Fish Market," they said.

Diners begin with four different antipasti and then, are served a handmade pasta and a choice of fish or meat for an entree, then dessert, for $75.

Some of the dishes they are best known for are crudos and handmade pastas; they also offer vegetarian and vegan tasting menus, the chefs said.

The James Beard Awards are highly coveted honors. And, according to Newsday, it's only the third time that a Long Island chef has received a nomination and gotten as far as the semifinalist round; Guy Reuge of Mirabelle in Stony Brook and the late Gerry Hayden of The North Fork Table & Inn in Southold were semifinalists, with Hayden once a finalist — but so far, no Long Island chef has won.

"This is a true honor for us to be nominated," Ronzetti and Kopels said.

18 Bay is located at 23 N. Ferry Road on Shelter Island.

Google Earth image.