Tabulations to determine the nominees and winners are done by independent auditors Lutz & Carr. The same group of judges, which comprises leading regional restaurant critics, food and wine editors, culinary educators, and past James Beard Award winners, then votes on the nominees to select the winners. The list of semifinalists is then voted on by more than 600 judges from across the country to determine the final nominees in each category. Based on the results and eligibility requirements for each award, the committee then produces a nominating ballot that lists the semifinalists in each of the 21 Restaurant and Chef Award categories.

Entries received, along with input solicited from an independent volunteer group of more than 250 panelists around the country, are reviewed by the Restaurant and Chef Committee to determine eligibility and regional representation. The James Beard Foundation holds an online open call for entries beginning in mid-October of each year. Overview of Restaurant and Chef Awards Process ET and will be streamed live online (details coming soon on the Foundation’s website) and the nominees will be live-tweeted via the James Beard Foundation Twitter feed at /beardfoundation. The Foundation will announce the final nominees for all Award categories during a press conference in Houston, hosted by James Beard Award–winning chef Hugo Ortega at his namesake Mexican restaurant, Hugo’s, on Wednesday, March 27th, 2019. The full list of 2019 semifinalists can be reviewed at the end of the press release or directly at the James Beard Foundation website.

The prestigious group of semifinalists across all categories represents a wide collection of culinary talent, from exceptional chefs and dining destinations nationally and across ten different regions to the best new restaurants, outstanding bar, outstanding baker, and a rising star chefs 30 years of age or under.

New York, NY ( ) The James Beard Foundation announced today its list of Restaurant and Chef Award semifinalists in advance of the 29th annual James Beard Awards.

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