See NYC’s 2023 James Beard Award finalists for best chefs and restaurants

Amanda Cohen of Dirt Candy, Nasim Alikhani of Sofreh and Charlie Mitchell of Clover Hill are among the local chefs who are finalists for the James Beard Foundation Awards, the organization said Wednesday.

The winners will be announced in a ceremony June 5.

The awards – sometimes called the “foodie Oscars” – are overseen by the James Beard Foundation, a nonprofit organization founded in 1986 that aims to support American food culture. The awards were paused for two years amid concerns about COVID-19, abusive workplaces and a lack of diversity. They returned in 2022 with new rules and procedures in place.

Charlie Mitchell, who is executive chef at Clover Hill in Brooklyn Heights, says he had just gotten off the 2 train, and was on the phone with his fiancé, when he found out by hitting “refresh” on Instagram.

“It's awesome,” said Mitchell, who is nominated in the “emerging chef” category.

He and his team planned to celebrate with champagne once they finished their dinner shift. Until then, he said, “It’s a normal Wednesday here.”

Nasim Alikhani of Sofreh, a Persian restaurant in Prospect Heights, said she learned she was a finalist for Best Chef in the car, while her husband was driving. She screamed so loudly he nearly hit someone.

“I haven’t been able to stop grinning all day,” she said. “Regardless of the final outcome for me, this is already a huge honor because this is, in a way, a salute to my mother, to my grandmother, to all these women who taught me everything I know."

She said she's been telling her staff as they arrive at work, because she sees this nomination as theirs, too. Alikhani is also planning to have a drink with her team, but just a small one.

“I don’t want tipsy servers,” she said.

This year’s finalists – chefs, restaurants and bakeries – represent a wider range of culinary styles and cuisines, compared to previous years, says Rick Camac, executive director of industry relations for the Institute of Culinary Education. He notes that many of the New York City restaurants are in Brooklyn, rather than in Midtown.

Camac said the awards are meaningful, “without a doubt,” particularly to serious foodies and those in the industry: “What all the serious chefs concern themselves with is: Who's getting James Beard Awards?"

But he acknowledges that a typical New Yorker might care more about what Eater or The Infatuation has to say.

“Does the casual diner care that much about James Beard? I don't even know that the casual diner knows who James Beard is,” he said. “To me, it’s a big deal.”

Below are the nominees from New York and Connecticut. (And good luck if you’re trying to book a table.)

Outstanding Chef

• Erik Ramirez, Llama Inn, Brooklyn, NY

Outstanding Restaurant

• Coracora, West Hartford, CT

Best New Restaurant

• Dept of Culture, New York, NY

Emerging Chef

• Charlie Mitchell, Clover Hill, Brooklyn, NY

Outstanding Wine

• COTE, New York, NY

Best Chef: New York State

• Nasim Alikhani, Sofreh, Brooklyn, NY
• Mary Attea, The Musket Room, New York, NY
• Amanda Cohen, Dirt Candy, New York, NY
• Shaina Loew-Banayan, Cafe Mutton, Hudson, NY
• Junghyun Park, Atomix, New York, NY

Best Chef: Northeast

• Christian Hunter, Community Table, New Preston, CT
• Renee Touponce, The Port of Call, Mystic, CT