The Seattle Semifinalists for the James Beard Awards have been announced!
Seattle and its resident chefs are doing impressive things in the restaurant scene, so it comes as no surprise that a large number of this year’s James Beard semifinalists hail from the Emerald City. The semifinalists were announced on January 24, 2024 and the official nominations will be released on April 3. The ultimate winners of the James Beard Awards will be announced on June 10 in Chicago.
Read on for the full list of semifinalists in Seattle!
Here are the 2024 James Beard semifinalists in Seattle within each category:
Outstanding restaurant:
Last year Renee Erickson was a semifinalist for Outstanding Chef at The Walrus and the Carpenter. This Ballard seafood restaurant is still one of our top places to get oysters in Seattle so it’s nice to see Erickson continue to get recognition.
Outstanding chef:
- Aaron Verzosa, Archipelago
Verzosa was also a semifinalist in 2023 for Best Chef: Northwest and Pacific. At the tiny Archipelago in Hillman City, Verzosa is delighting Seattleites by melding Pacific Northwest cuisine with Filipino flavors.
Outstanding Restauranteur:
- Yenvy and Quynh Pham, Phở Bắc Sup Shop, Phởcific Standard Time and The Boat
The Pham siblings are well-known in Seattle for their family-run Vietnamese restaurants. If you haven’t been to any of their eateries yet, you’re missing out. This is actually the second year in a row that they’ve been semifinalists in this category!
Best chef, Northwest and Pacific:
- Kristi Brown, Communion
- Grayson Corrales, MariPili Tapas Bar
- Evan Leichtling, Off Alley
- Melissa Miranda, Musang
This is the second year in a row for Musang’s Melissa Miranda being a semifinalist in this category. We’re also really pleased to see Krisi Brown recognized for her delicious soul food at Central District restaurant Communion.
Emerging chef:
- Janet Becerra, Pancita, Seattle
Becerra is being honored for her work at Pancita (previously known as Pair), a Mexican restaurant in Ravenna that went from pop-up to a full restaurant in August 2023.
Outstanding pastry chef or baker:
- Ben Campbell, Ben’s Bread Co.
Ben’s Bread Co. is a family-run bakery in Phinney Ridge that started as a pop-up and now has a cult following in Seattle, especially for their sourdough table bread and English muffins.
Outstanding wine and beverage program:
- Eight Row, Seattle
Eight Row in Green Lake serves “orchard-inspired Panamerican cuisine,” in their own words. Curious about their wine and beverage menu now? You can check it out on the restaurant’s website.
If you haven’t been to any of these Seattle spots yet, here’s your sign to check them out! You can also read our article about Melissa Miranda at Musang, which is a Filipino restaurant in Beacon Hill, as well as our article about Phởcific Standard Time, which is a cozy Vietnamese speakeasy downtown.
You can also see the full list of semifinalists on the James Beard website.