James Beard Award 2025 Semifinalists for D.C.
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Mita in Shaw is a semifinalist for Best New Restaurant. Photo: Scott Suchman for The Washington Post via Getty Images
The James Beard Awards just announced their 2025 semifinalists with nearly 20 D.C.-area chefs and restaurants in the running.
Why it matters: The Beards are like the Oscars for the American hospitality industry, and even making the semis is a big deal.
State of play: D.C. chefs, bartenders and restaurateurs scooped up semifinalist spots in some of the most hyped categories, including:
- Outstanding Chef (Centrolina's Amy Brandwein), Outstanding Restaurant (The Dabney in Shaw), the rising star category (Paolo Dungca of Hiraya on H Street), and Best New Restaurant (plant-based tasting room Mita in Shaw, which also recently earned a Michelin star).
What's new: The 35th anniversary of the Chef and Restaurant Awards marks an expansion into three new categories focused on beverages: Best New Bar, Outstanding Professional in Beverage Service, and Outstanding Professional in Cocktail Service.
- Locally, Adams Morgan caipirinha spot Bar Cana is a nominee for Best New Bar. Andra "AJ" Johnson of Serenata near Union Market is a cocktail professional semifinalist.
Flashback: D.C. cleaned up at the Beard Awards last year with some big wins: Albi's Michael Rafidi took home Outstanding Chef, while Perry's chef Masako Morishita won Rising Star.
- Harley Peet of Bas Rouge on the Eastern Shore took home Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic.
What's next: Finalists will be announced on April 12, and winners will be celebrated at a Chicago ceremony on June 16.
🏅 The list of D.C.-area semifinalists:
Outstanding Restaurateur
- Scott Drewno and Danny Lee, The Fried Rice Collective (Anju, Chiko, and I Egg You), Washington, D.C.
Outstanding Chef
- Amy Brandwein, Centrolina, Washington, D.C.
Outstanding Restaurant
- The Dabney, Washington, D.C.
Emerging Chef
- Paolo Dungca, Hiraya, Washington, D.C.
Best New Restaurant
- Mita, Washington, D.C.
Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker
- Susan Bae, Moon Rabbit, Washington, D.C.
Outstanding Hospitality
- Tail Up Goat, Washington, D.C.
Best New Bar
- Bar Cana, Washington, D.C.
Outstanding Professional in Cocktail Service
- Andra "AJ" Johnson, Serenata, Washington, D.C.
Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic (DC, DE, MD, NJ, PA, VA)
- Matt Adler, Cucina Morini, Washington, D.C.
- Henji Cheung, Queen's English, Washington, D.C.
- Matt Conroy and Isabel Coss, Pascual, Washington, D.C.
- Carlos Delgado, Causa and Amazonia, Washington, D.C.
- Ruben Garcia, Casa Teresa, Washington, D.C.
- Fernando Gonzalez, 2Fifty Barbeque, Riverdale, MD and Washington, DC
- Cagla Onal Urel, Green Almond Pantry, Washington, D.C.
Zoom out: A handful of semifinalists fall in the worth-a-day-trip category from D.C.
- That includes Maude & the Bear in Staunton, VA (Best New Restaurant), Jarad Slipp's Tremolo Bar in Middleburg, VA (Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic), and Ruse in St. Michael's, Maryland, lead by Michael Correll (Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic).
- Plus, a few Baltimore nods: Charleston for Outstanding Wine, Clavel's Dre Levon in the new cocktail pro category, and chef Jasmine Norton of The Urban Oyster (Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic).