A slate of New York City-area chefs have been named semifinalists for the 2023 James Beard Awards, one of nation’s most prestigious honors in the culinary and food media industries.
Recognized in the category of Outstanding Chef were Eder Montero and Alex Raij of Spanish restaurant La Vara in Brooklyn, as well as Erik Ramirez of Brooklyn Peruvian restaurant Llama Inn.
Semifinalists for Outstanding Restaurant included East Village Ukrainian eatery Veselka and West Village Italian trattoria Via Carota.
The James Beard Foundation’s Restaurant and Chef Awards, established in 1990 and first awarded in 1991, are one of five separate recognition programs of the awards. The 2023 Restaurant and Chef Semifinalists are recognized across 23 categories.
This year the foundation added a new award for Outstanding Bakery. Among the semifinalists for that category was She Wolf Bakery.
Other New York-area semifinalist chefs and restaurants are:
Nominees will be announced on March 29, and winners will be named at the James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards Ceremony on June 5 at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.