Falls Church Chef Up For James Beard Award

A Falls Church area chef was nominated among the DC area's 20 semifinalists for this year's James Beard Foundation Awards— dubbed the Oscars for restaurants. Seng Luangrath, owner and chef at Padaek at the Seven Corners Center, was nominated for best Mid-Atlantic chef.

Padaek, which serves up Lao and Thai dishes was the first restaurant Luangrath opened. Since then, she's worked to spread Lao cuisine throughout the DC region, taking over Bangkok Golden also in Seven Corners and opening Thip Khao, DC's first Lao restaurant.

"I feel so humbled and full of joy, and as I can't stop my tears of happiness I want to thank the @BeardFoundation for another nomination this year," wrote Luangrath in a social media post. "It touches my heart your recognition of Padaek, where my cooking journey started and where all my inspiration for the @LaoFoodMovement began."

Other nominees hail from DC: Amy Brandwein (Centrolina), Tom Cunanan (Bad Saint), Jeremiah Langhorne (The Dabney), Esther Lee (Obelisk), Cedric Maupillier (Convivial)

The foundation received over 20,000 entries through its online open call entry process. A committee reviews thousands of entries to come up with a nominating ballot of semifinalists in each category.

SEE ALSO: James Beard Awards: DC Area Restaurants Score Lots Of Nominations

An independent volunteer panel of more than 600 judges — comprised of top regional restaurant critics, food and wine editors, culinary educators, and past winners — then votes on specific award categories to determine the final five nominees in each category.

Final nominees will be announced on March 14. The winners will be announced at Pier Sixty at Chelsea Piers in New York City on April 27. They'll receive a certificate and a medallion engraved with the James Beard Foundation Awards insignia.

Click here to see the full list of awards.

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