James Beard gives Philly a lot of love in their 2017 semifinalists list

In case you’re not in the know, the James Beard Awards are like the Oscars of the food industry, celebrating the best and brightest culinary stars across the country. This year, Philly got a lot of love by the culinary foundation. The list of semifinalists was released this week with 20 restaurants, restaurateurs and chefs from the region making the cut. Here’s who we’ve got in the running:

Best New Restaurant
Saté Kampar

Outstanding Baker
Tova du Plessis, Essen Bakery
Elizabeth Degener, Enfin Farms (Cape May, NJ)

Outstanding Bar Program
Martha

Outstanding Chef
Michael Solomonov

Outstanding Pastry Chef
Pat O’Malley, Hungry Pigeon

Outstanding Restaurant
Sagami (Collingswood, NJ)

Outstanding Restaurateur
Stephen Starr, Starr Restaurants
Ellen Yin, High Street Hospitality Group

Outstanding Service
Zahav

Outstanding Wine, Beer or Spirits Professional
Herman C. Mihalich and John S. Cooper, Dad’s Hat Pennsylvania Rye Whiskey (Bristol, PA)
Sam Calagione, Dogfish Head Craft Brewery (Milton, DE)

Rising Star Chef of the Year
Camille Cogswell, Zahav
Jesse Ito, Royal Izakaya

Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic
Nicholas Elmi, Laurel
Rich Landau, Vedge
Cristina Martinez and Benjamin Miller, South Philly Barbacoa
Greg Vernick, Vernick Food & Drink
Joey Baldino, Zeppoli
Scott Anderson, Elements (Princeton, NJ)

For more information visit: jamesbeard.org