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No restaurant in Massachusetts is no longer in the running for the restaurant industry’s annual awards, but a few places elsewhere in New England are nominated.
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A selection of dishes at Izakaya Minato, where chef/co-owner Thomas Takashi Cooke is nominated for the 2026 James Beard Award for Best Chef: Northeast. / Photo by Caroline Alden
The James Beard Awards season continues today with the announcement of the 2026 Restaurant and Chef nominees in the United States – a pared-down selection that follows January’s broader list of semifinalists. (The winners will be announced at a gala in Chicago on June 15.) No Massachusetts chefs or restaurants made the cut. What is it, James Beard Foundation? This omission is all the more painful considering that the Boston area reacted with mixed feelings when the restaurant was first added to the Michelin Guide and given a single Michelin star just a few months ago. Other parts of New England fared slightly better in today’s Beard announcement, with the entire region receiving 10 nominees in six categories; More on that below, but first a refresher on the James Beard Awards.
The annual awards are a big deal in the U.S. restaurant world and recognize talent in the food, beverage and hospitality industries. From promising newcomers to industry veterans, the Restaurant and Chef Awards honor a variety of chefs, bakers, beverage professionals and more in approximately two dozen categories. In addition, there are Food Media Awards, Lifetime Achievement Recognitions and other honors, some of which are announced on a different schedule throughout the year.
The announcement of the highly acclaimed Restaurant and Cooking Awards is a multi-step process, with the long list of semifinalists being eliminated early in the year, followed by nominees in early spring (that happened today), and finally the winners at a major event in June. The trial begins with a public call for recommendations, while decisions are made by a voting panel of Beard Foundation subcommittee members and appointed judges across the United States
Super secret ice cream. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal
Here are the 2026 nominees in New England:
- Dana Street of Fore Street, Scales, Standard Baking Co. and others (Portland, ME) – Outstanding Restaurateur Nomination
- David Standridge, The Shipwright’s Daughter (Mystic, CT) – Semifinalist for Outstanding Chef
- Loma (Providence, Rhode Island) – Nominated for Best New Bar
- The Port of Call (Mystic, CT) – Nominated for the Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages program.
- Super Secret Ice Cream (Bethlehem, NH) – Nominated for Outstanding Bakery
- David DiStasi of Materia Ristorante (Bantam, CT) – Best Chef: Northeast Nomination
- Evan Hennessey of Stages (Dover, NH) – Best Chef: Northeast Nomination
- Thomas Takashi Cooke of Izakaya Minato (Portland, ME) – Best Chef: Nominated for Northeast
- Paul Trombly of Fancy’s (Burlington, VT) – Best Chef: Northeast Nomination
- Derek Wagner of Nicks on Broadway (Providence, Rhode Island) – Best Chef: Northeast Nominee
