Philadelphia foodies know Stephen Starr as a local celebrity and discernible name in the restaurant scene. The restaurateur has a total of 34 properties, with 20 in Philadelphia.
Named Outstanding Restaurateur by the James Beard Foundation in 2017, it was only fitting for Starr’s own restaurant, Parc, to host the James Beard Foundation nominees for 2018. My colleague Kim Krol and I were lucky to attend the event while enjoying Parc’s famous pastries and fresh-pressed juice.
We sipped coffee and listened as the nominees were announced, from the Book of the Year Award and the Cookbook Hall of Fame, Broadcast Media and Journalism awards to the highly-coveted Best New Restaurant, Outstanding Chef, Outstanding Restaurant, Outstanding Restaurateur, Rising Star Chef of the Year and Best Chef — just to name a few. Read the full list of James Beard Award nominees here. Expect to see a few favorites from Philly including Best Chef: Mid Atlantic nominee Rich Landau of Vedge, Rising Star of the Year nominee Camille Cogswell of Zahav, Outstanding Service nominee Zahav, and Outstanding Restaurateur nominee Ellen Yin of Fork, High Street on Market and High Street on Hudson.
For those who want to see the awards in action, the majority of the winners will be announced at the James Beard Awards Gala, May 7 at the Lyric Opera in Chicago. Tickets are already available and range $425–500, for members and non-members.
— Angelique Platas, assistant editor
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