Four Connecticut chefs and two restaurants were named as semifinalists for the 2026 James Beard Awards, which were announced Wednesday morning.
David Standridge, a chef at The Shipwright’s Daughter in Mystic, is a semifinalist in the Outstanding Chef category, which recognizes chefs nationwide.
Three other Connecticut chefs were honored in a smaller category: Best Chef of the Northeast, which honors chefs from Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont.
Those chefs include David DiStasi of Materia Ristorante in Bantam, Bolivar Hilario of Community Table in New Preston, and Shilimat Tessema of Lalibela Ethiopian Restaurant in New Haven.
Standridge, the Mystic chef at The Shipwright’s Daughter, won the Best Chef of the Northeast award back in 2024.
As for restaurants, ROLi in New Haven was honored in the Best New Restaurant category, and The Port of Call in Mystic was recognized in the Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program category. Both groups have nationwide restaurants on their lists.
The James Beard Foundation says on its website that the awards “represent the pinnacle of culinary recognition in the US.”
The nominees will be announced on March 31, and the winners will be celebrated on June 15 in Chicago.
