James Beard Semifinalists Include 17 Washington Establishments

Semifinalists announced Wednesday by the James Beard Foundation include 17 restaurants, chefs and bars in Washington. The awards, now in their 30th year, are regarded as the Oscar Awards of the culinary industry.

The national semifinalists are sorted by 11 categories: best new restaurant; outstanding restaurant; outstanding baker; outstanding pastry chef; outstanding chef; rising chef stars age 30 or younger; outstanding bar program; outstanding wine program; outstanding wine, beer or spirits producer; outstanding restaurateur; and outstanding hospitality. A regional category considers "Best Chef" nominees from Alaska, Hawaii, Oregon and Washington.

In Washington state, the semifinalists are:

Outstanding Baker
Matt Tinder, Saboteur Bakery, Bremerton, Washington

Outstanding Chef
Holly Smith, Cafe Juanita, Kirkland, Washington

Best New Restaurant
Il Nido, Seattle

Outstanding Hospitality
Canlis, Seattle

Outstanding Wine Program
L'Oursin, Seattle

Outstanding Wine Spirits, or Beer Producer
Steve Luke, Cloudburst Brewing, Seattle

Rising Star Chef of the Year
Liz Kenyon, Rupee Bar, Seattle
Shota Nakajima, Adana, Seattle

Best Chef: Northwest & Pacific (AK, HI, OR, WA)
Chera Amlag, Hood Famous Cafe + Bar, Seattle
Logan Cox, Homer, Seattle
Sun Hong, By Tae, Seattle
Mitch Mayers, Sawyer, Seattle
Mutsuko Soma, Kamonegi, Seattle
Aaron Verzosa, Archipelago, Seattle
Rachel Yang and Seif Chirchi, Joule, Seattle
Jay Blackinton, Hogstone's Wood Oven, Orcas Island, WA
Chad White, Zona Blanca, Spokane, WA

James Beard Foundation Semifinalists: The Full List

Finalists in all categories will be announced at a news conference at 6 a.m. PDT on March 25 in Philadelphia.

The list of semifinalists was voted on by more than 600 judges from across the country. The same group of judges — who include leading regional restaurant critics, food and wine editors, culinary instructors and past James Beard winners — vote to determine the finalists. The votes are tabulated by independent auditors from EisnerAmper.

The winners will be announced in May.