South Florida continues to prove its excellence in cuisine by earning eight nominations for the James Beard Award Semifinals, six of those being from Miami. For those who are not familiar with this reward, the James Beard Awards are basically the Oscars of the culinary world. Chefs, bars, and restaurants included in the list were chosen among 20,000 entries and narrowed down by a panel of more than 600 judges. Here are Miami's James Beard Award 2018 semifinalists:
Palme d’Or in Coral Gables received a nod for Outstanding Service. Located inside the Biltmore Hotel Miami Coral Gables, Palme d’Or had been previously nominated in 2009 for Best Chef: South, Outstanding Service, and Outstanding Wine Service. This classy restaurant is famous for delivering an authentic French culinary experience to its guests.
Zak Stern
Zak The Baker's very own Zak Stern managed to grab an Outstanding Baker nomination for the second year in a row, and his popular bakery is located in Wynwood at 295 NW 26th St.
The Forge earned a nod for Outstanding Wine Service this year, which isn't all that surprising because the iconic restaurant in Miami Beach has one of the grandest wine collections in the world with more than 300,000 vintages across their eight-room wine cellars.
Janine Booth
The Top Chef alum teamed up with her partner Jeff McInnis in opening Stiltsville Fish Bar in 2017. This year, the James Beard Foundation recognized Booth with a nomination for Rising Star Chef of the Year, which is given to chefs under 30 who have achieved the greatest excellence in their culinary work.
Brad Kilgore
The chef/owner of Alter in Wynwood is among the four chefs in South Florida who received a nomination for Best Chef: South in 2018. It’s not the first time Kilgore has reached the semifinals as he previously held nominations for the Rising Star Chef of the Year and Best New Restaurant for Alter.
Niven Patel
Another Best Chef: South nominee, Niven Patel is known as the esteemed chef at Ghee Indian Kitchen, an authentic Indian restaurant located at 8965 SW 72nd Pl. in Downtown Dadeland
The two remaining South Florida nominees are Lindsay Autry and Clay Conley, both in the running for Best Chef: South. Stay tuned for updates about Miami's James Beard Award 2018 semi-finalists and find more stellar restaurants in Miami by registering on 305area, the ultimate guide to everything in Miami.
Cover photo courtesy of Pxhere
