Chatham Restaurant Nominated For Garden State Culinary Award

CHATHAM, NJ — Chatham's very own Restaurant Serenade has been nominated for the Best Restaurant award in the 2018 Garden State Culinary Arts Awards.

Restaurant Serenade serves high-end French food made by the award winning Chef James Laird. To be nominated for the "Best Restaurant award," a restaurant must have been open for at least five years and display "overall excellence and consistency of quality in food, atmosphere and service," as well as having "set high standards in the industry."

Here are all of the nominees for Best Restaurant:

• Café Matisse, Rutherford: Peter Loria, chef-owner
• Chakra, Paramus: Thomas Ciszak, chef-partner
• elements, Princeton: Stephen Distler, partner; Scott Anderson, chef-partner
• Hamilton's Grill Room, Lambertville: Mark Miller, chef
• IndeBlue, Collingswood: Rakesh Ramola, owner
• Manolo's Restaurant, Elizabeth: Manuel Mendez, owner
• Pluckemin Inn, Bedminster: Gloria LaGrassa, owner
• The Red Store, Cape May Point: Lucas Manteca, chef-owner
• Restaurant Serenade, Chatham: Nancy Laird, owner; James Laird, chef-owner
• Zeppoli, Collingswood: Joey Baldino, chef-owner

The Garden State Culinary Arts Awards are given out by the Garden State Awards Committee, which consist of over 150 independant food writers and critics from around New Jersey. Members will vote in all categories, and the top three will be named as finalists. Winners will be awarded on April 29.

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