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 KamparOutstanding BakerTova du Plessis, Essen BakeryElizabeth Degener, Enfin Farms (Cape May, NJ)Outstanding Bar Program MarthaOutstanding ChefMichael SolomonovOutstanding Pastry ChefPat O’Malley, Hungry PigeonOutstanding Restaurant Sagami (Collingswood, NJ)Outstanding RestaurateurStephen Starr, Starr RestaurantsEllen Yin, High Street Hospitality GroupOutstanding Service ZahavOutstanding Wine, Beer or Spirits ProfessionalHerman 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 YearCamille Cogswell, ZahavJesse Ito, Royal IzakayaBest Chef: Mid-AtlanticNicholas Elmi, LaurelRich Landau, VedgeCristina Martinez and Benjamin Miller, South Philly BarbacoaGreg Vernick, Vernick Food & DrinkJoey Baldino, ZeppoliScott Anderson, Elements (Princeton, NJ)For more information visit: jamesbeard.org
