PROVIDENCE – The nominees for the “Oscars of the food world,” the James Beard Awards, were announced today in New York. Again this year Providence is well-represented with three of the city’s top chefs reaching the semifinal round.
Named as a semifinalist for Outstanding Chef is legendary chef-restaurateur Johanne Killeen of Al Forno in Providence. Killeen is world-renowned as is Al Forno, where she and her late husband George Germon introduced grilled pizza to the world. Among Al Forno alumni are several Beard award recipients and nominees including Wylie Dufresne and Suzanne Goin, a 2017 winner.
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Nominated for Best Chef-Northeast are Benjamin Sukle for his Oberlin restaurant, itself a 2017 semifinalist; and Champe Speidel, proprietor of Persimmon restaurant. Both are located in Providence. Sukle reached the finals of the regional competition in 2017. He and his wife Heidi also own birch.
Speidel has been a semifinalist six times before. He was last in the running for the Northeast award in 2016.
Twenty-one chefs were named semifinalists from the Northeast region which includes Boston, Portland ME and the other New England states plus New York state. There is a separate category for chefs from New York City where the Beard Foundation is located.
The final Restaurant and Chef Award nominees will be announced in Philadelphia on Wednesday, March 14. The awards will be presented in Chicago this May.
Bruce Newbury’s Dining Out radio talk show is heard Saturdays at 11:00 AM on 1540 AM WADK and through the TuneIn mobile app. Email Bruce at Bruce@brucenewbury.com
