22 hours Ago By Maya Shavit
By Maya Shavit The finalist nominees for best chefs and restaurants for the 2025 James Beard Awards were announced on Wednesday. Cassie Piuma of Sarma in Somerville and Erin Miller of Urban Hearth in Cambridge made the list for Outstanding Chef and Best Chef: Northeast, respectively. Merai in Brookline is a finalist for Best New Bar, a new category this year.
Outside of Mass., nine additional New England chefs and restaurants were named across categories like outstanding restaurateur, emerging chef, and outstanding bar. The 2025 Restaurant and Chef Award nominees were revealed during a live ceremony in Los Angeles by industry leaders from the James Beard Foundation and the hospitality industry.
Semifinalists for the James Beard Awards were named in January. While the prestigious food and hospitality awards will be celebrating their 35th anniversary, there are new beverage-focused awards and a new Impact Awards program this year. “We’re especially excited to recognize the first nominees of our three new beverage-focused categories—highlighting the vital role these professionals play in the culinary and hospitality industries,” said Chef Elizabeth Falkner, Awards Committee Chair and James Beard Foundation Trustee.
The James Beard Award winners will be announced in Chicago on June 16 in a three day ceremony that highlights the media, industry leaders, and restaurant trailblazers of the year. Below, find a list of the 2025 James Beard Award New England finalists: For a full list of the 2025 James Beard Award finalists, check out the foundation’s website . Sign up for The Dish Stay up to date on the latest food and drink news from Boston.
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