James Beard Awards: See How Napa Valley Fared

NAPA VALLEY, CA — Foodies rejoice: you have some new restaurants to seek out. The semifinalists for this year’s James Beard Foundation Awards — dubbed the Oscars for restaurants — have been released and 54 restaurants from California made the list.

The awards across 21 categories for national and regional chef and restaurant awards were released on Thursday. Categories include best new restaurant, best chef, outstanding baker and outstanding service, among others.

Out of more than 20,000 entrants, five from the Napa Valley made the list.

They are:

New Restaurant

• The Charter Oak, St. Helena

Outstanding Chef

• Christopher Kost, The Restaurant at Meadowood, St. Helena

Outstanding Wine, Spirits or Beer Professional

• Cathy Corison, Corison Winery, St. Helena
• Miljenko Grgich, Grgich Hills Estate, Rutherford
• Steve Matthiasson, Matthiasson Wines, Napa

The foundation holds an online open call for entries every year. A committee reviews thousands of entries to come up with a nominating ballot of semifinalists in each category.

An independent volunteer panel of more than 600 judges — comprised of top regional restaurant critics, food and wine editors, culinary educators, and past winners — then votes on specific award categories to determine the final five nominees in each category.

They then vote on these five nominees to select the winners.

The foundation will announce the final nominees on the morning of March 14 at Parc in Philadelphia. The event will be live-streamed.

The winners will be announced at Pier Sixty at Chelsea Piers in New York City on April 27. They’ll receive a certificate and a medallion engraved with the James Beard Foundation Awards insignia. There are no cash prizes.

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James Beard Awards: See How Sonoma Valley Fared

James Beard Awards: See How The Bay Area Fared

Click here to see the full list of awards.

IMAGE DISTRIBUTED FOR THE JAMES BEARD FOUNDATION - Atmosphere at The JBF Gala: A Night of Award Winners at the Rainbow Room on Friday, Nov. 10, 2017 in New York. (Photo by Mark Von Holden/Invision for James Beard Foundation/AP Images)