Nominees for the The James Beard Foundation’s prestigious 2024 Restaurant and Chef Awards include four chefs and eateries from Maine.
Short lists for each category include five nominees. These are the nominees from Maine:
Outstanding Bakery — ZU Bakery, Portland.
Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker — Atsuko Fujimoto of Norimoto Bakery, Portland.
Outstanding Hospitality — Woodford Food & Beverage, Portland.
Best Chef in the Northeast (the six New England states) — Jake Stevens of Leeward, Portland.
The latest announcement narrows the field of Maine nominees from the 10 in the list of semifinalists released in January.
Winners will be awarded on June 10 at Lyric Opera of Chicago.
Established in 1990, the James Beard Awards are considered among the nation’s most prestigious in the culinary and food media industries.
Last year, The Quarry, in Monson, won the James Beard Award for Outstanding Hospitality. It was the seventh restaurant or chef in Maine to be honored with the award.