Philly Chef Wins Rising Chef Of The Year James Beard Award

PHILADELPHIA – Of the four Philadelphia-based 2018 James Beard Award nominees, only one came out of the May 7 ceremony in Chicago with an award.

Camille Cogswell, who serves as a chef at the famous Israeli cuisine pros Zahav in Philadelphia, won her first "Oscar of the food world."

Cogswell won Rising Star Chef of the Year in the 2018 James Beard Awards.

Cogswell, who joined Zahav in 2015, was nominated for the award last year, as well.

"It means so much to me, knowing that people believe in me,” Cogswell told Philly.com. "It’s a lot of pressure. All these people nominated me based on what they think I’m going to do. This is really about the future."

Three other Philly establishments were finalists in separate award categories.

Zahav, which is owned by Beard award winner Michael Solomonov, was a finalist in the Outstanding Service category, but ultimately the winner was San Francisco's Zuni Café that won the award.

Ellen Yin, of High Street Hospitality Group, was named a finalist in the Outstanding Restaurateur category. The award went to Caroline Styne of Los Angeles' The Lucques Group.

Rich Landau, head chef at Vedge, was announced as a finalist in the Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic category, which covers Washington DC, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Virginia, and Pennsylvania. However, it was Jeremiah Langhorne of the The Dabney in Washington, D.C. that won the award.

You can see the full list of 2018 James Beard Award winners here.

In 2017, Philly won several James Beard Awards.

Stephen Starr, Greg Vernick, and Solomonov all took home some big awards that are sure to make Philly a prime destination for foodies all over the world.

Starr, who is known for Jones, Continental, El Vez, and tons of other restaurants, brought home the Outstanding Restaurateur award.

Vernick, of Vernick Food & Drink, was crowned the best chef in the mid Atlantic region.

Solomonov was named Outstanding Chef overall.

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