The James Beard Foundation has picked from its list of semifinalists for this year’s restaurant awards announced in January, and a handful of D.C. names make the cut for finalists, including a finalist for one of the top annual James Beard Awards.
Vegetarian Latin American restaurant Mita, in D.C’s Shaw neighborhood, is a finalist for the nation’s Best New Restaurant. Mita earned a one-star Michelin rating in December.
Mita is up against nine other restaurants from across the country for the James Beard Best New Restaurant Award.
Other D.C. names that makes the James Beard finalist cut:
- Scott Drewno and Danny Lee, The Fried Chicken Collective (Anju, Chiko, I Egg You): Outstanding Restauranteur
- Susan Bae, Moon Rabbit: Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker
- Henji Cheung, Queen’s English: Best Chef Mid-Atlantic
- Carlos Delgado, Causa and Amazonia: Best Chef Mid-Atlantic
There are a total of 25 categories for this year’s James Beard Awards. Winners will be announced at the 35th Anniversary James Beard Awards Ceremony on June 16, at the Lyric Opera in Chicago.
The full list of finalists for this year’s awards is online.