5 West Village Restaurants Semifinalists For James Beard Award

WEST VILLAGE — In a race for a James Beard award, three chefs, a baker and a restaurateur were nominated in the West Village.

The James Beard Foundation announced nominations for the awards on Wed., Feb. 27 for the award often dubbed the Oscars of the culinary world.

Angie Mar of Beatrice Inn, 285 W. 12th St.; Scott Tacinelli and Angie Rito of Don Angie, 103 Greenwich Ave.; and Jody Williams and Rita Sodi of Via Carota, 51 Grove St. were among 20 nominees for best chef in New York City.

Umber Ahmad of Mah-Ze-Bakery, at 28 Greenwich Ave., was nominated as outstanding baker.

Jason Wang of Xi'an Famous Foods, which has several locations including one at 313 6th Ave., was nominated for outstanding restaurateur.

Beatrice Inn, an 80-year-old West Village mainstay, is owned by its chef, Angie Mar. New York Magazine wrote that Mar has transformed the space into a "grandiose (and not inexpensive) fresser's paradise."

Mar's dishes have been known to cost hundreds. Eater wrote she served smoked rabbits for $87 and smoked pork chops for $72, while a New Yorker article wrote about her $1200 steaks.

Tacinelli and Rito serve up Italian eats at Don Angie. Williams and Sodi have also been cooking Italian dishes at Via Carota since its opening in 2014.

Ahmad is an investment banker turned baker. One of her clients as a banker was a world-famous chef. He tried a dessert she baked and was so impressed that he encouraged Ahmad to launch a career in the culinary industry, CBS News reported.

Wang's Xi'an Famous Foods began as a 200-square-foot basement in a Flushing mall in 2005, according to the restaurant. It eventually expanded to 14 locations in New York City.

The late CNN Parts Unknown host Anthony Bourdain is among Famous Foods' well-known customers, Forbes reported.

More than 600 judges voted on the semifinalists nationwide, according to the Foundation. Finalists will be announced next month, and winners will be announced in May.