Maine restaurants and chefs who were hungry for a James Beard Award nomination will have to wait another year.

None of the semifinalists from Maine got nominated Tuesday for the prestigious award, which has been called the Oscars of the food world.

Three Maine chefs had been named semifinalists for one of the most coveted awards, Best Chef: Northeast — Masa Miyake, owner of Portland’s three Miyake restaurants, and two Camden-area chefs, Brian Hill of Francine Bistro and Ravin Nakjaroen of Long Grain.

The chefs nominated in that category were Jamie Bissonnette of Coppa in Boston; Joanne Chang, Flour Bakery + Café, Boston; Gerry Hayden of The North Fork Table & Inn in Southold, N.Y.; Matt Jennings of Farmstead Inc. in Providence; Michael Leviton of Lumière, Newton, Mass.; and Barry Maiden of Hungry Mother in Cambridge, Mass.

Fore Street in Portland and Primo in Rockland had been named semifinalists for Outstanding Restaurant. The nominations in that category went to Hearth in New York City; Highlands Bar and Grill in Birmingham, Ala.; The Slanted Door in San Francisco; Spiaggia in Chicago; and wd~50 in New York City.

One Mainer did receive a nomination in the Broadcast and New Media category. Food writer Kathy Gunst, who lives in South Berwick, was nominated for her work on the Boston radio show “Here & Now” in the Radio Show/Audio Webcast subcategory. Gunst, who is “resident chef” on the show, will be competing against “The Splendid Table” on American Public Media and Public Radio and “This American Life” on NPR.

The restaurant and chef nominations were announced Tuesday morning during a live Internet feed from Chicago. The awards will be presented in New York City on May 3 and 5.

Meredith Goad can be contacted at 791-6332 or at:mgoad@pressherald.com


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