These Massachusetts restaurants and chefs are James Beard Award semifinalists
BOSTON - The prestigious James Beard Award semifinalists picks have been announced, and Massachusetts is well-represented on the list of nominees.
The awards that are entering their 35th year recognize outstanding restaurants, chefs and bars. Below we've rounded up the semifinalists in Massachusetts, from Boston to Cape Cod.
Outstanding Restauranteur
Douglass Williams, MIDA, Boston
Chef Douglass Williams recently opened a fourth Boston location of MIDA in the Fenway neighborhood. The Italian neighborhood restaurants serve up handmade pasta and pizza. Williams was also a semifinalist for best northeast chef in 2023.
He told WBZ-TV in an interview last year that he was inspired by his mother's cooking and said he has an "insatiable desire to cook for people."
"I love just having a party every day of the week," he said.
Outstanding Chef
Cassie Piuma, Sarma, Somerville
Best New Restaurant
LUNE, Dennis Port
Somaek, Boston
Best New Bar
Equal Measure, Boston
Merai, Brookline
Outstanding Professional in Beverage Service
Alyssa Mikiko DiPasquale, The Koji Club, Brighton
The Koji Club at the Charles River Speedway is the only sake bar in the northeast and has one of the most diverse sake menus in the world, owner Alyssa Mikiko DiPasquale told WBZ-TV in 2023.
"And we change [the menu] seasonally," she said. "So you can always come back and try something new."
Outstanding Professional in Cocktail Service
Oscar Simoza, The Wig Shop, Boston
Best Chef: Northeast
John DaSilva, Chickadee, Boston
Conor Dennehy, Tallula, Cambridge
Valentine Howell, Black Cat, Jamaica Plain
Kwasi Kwaa, Comfort Kitchen, Boston
The Black-owned, woman-owned and immigrant-owned Comfort Kitchen in Dorchester has quickly become one of the best restaurants in Boston since opening in 2023.
The Upham's Corner spot serving African-inspired food was a James Beard Award semifinalist for best new restaurant last year.
"We always used to have conversations about, if we had an opportunity to do it ourselves, how would that look like," said chef and partner Kwasi Kwaa told WBZ-TV. "At any given dinner service there will be Black folks, Asian folks. Different races, different classes, different ages.
Rachel Miller, Nightshade Noodle Bar, Lynn
Erin Miller, Urban Hearth, Cambridge
Michael Serpa, Select Oyster, Boston