Two New Jersey chefs and one restaurant are among the recently announced slate of semifinalists for awards from the James Beard Foundation.

Now in its 34th year, the recognition is considered one of the most prestigious culinary honors. The distinction showcases those who create exceptional food, food media content and better food systems, as well as demonstrate a commitment to racial and gender equity, community and sustainability.

Its categories include: outstanding restaurateur, outstanding chef, outstanding restaurant, emerging chef, best new restaurant, outstanding bakery, outstanding pastry chef/baker, outstanding hospitality, outstanding wine & beverages program and outstanding bar.

In New Jersey, Lita, an acclaimed Iberian restaurant in Aberdeen, was named as a best new restaurant semifinalist. Lita is the third concept from Neilly Robinson and Chef David Vienna, the duo behind restaurant and cooking school Heirloom Kitchen in Old Bridge and the award-winning Heirloom at the St. Laurent in Asbury Park.

“We’re bursting! A thousand thank yous to the James Beard Foundation for recognizing Lita and all our hard work,” Robinson and Vienna said in a social media post. 

“Being named among the best new restaurants is an incredible honor for so many reasons,” they said. “… The world truly feels like it’s spinning off its axis from all the emotions of this nomination, but what we feel most of all is gratitude. Thank you everyone at Lita for your excellence and devotion to hospitality. Thank you to everyone at Heirloom Hospitality who has helped us get here and continues to be dedicated to what we are doing. The world is a more kind, caring and delicious place because of your efforts.”

Yes, chef

Additionally, Dane DeMarco of Gass & Main in Haddonfield and Nur-E Gulshan Rahman of Korai Kitchen in Jersey City are short-listed for Best Chef in the Mid-Atlantic region.

Speaking of NJ honorees:

• An Italian sandwich shop and market created by James Beard Award-nominated chef Robbie Felice is coming to Montclair. Click here to read more.
• This fall, Foodiehall in Cherry Hill added indoor dining as well as a new offering from James Beard Award-nominated chef Sylva Senat. Click here to read more.

Gass & Main is the second restaurant concept developed by DeMarco. The American bistro serves seasonal dishes made with local and sustainable ingredients. In 2021, DeMarco launched BurgerTime, a gourmet, fast-casual burger restaurant in Audubon, which closed last fall.

Korai Kitchen, a Bangladeshi restaurant that opened in 2018, is run by Rahman and her youngest daughter, Nur-E Farhana Rahman.

“Words cannot express how proud I am of my mom and our incredible team. What a beautiful moment of recognition for Bangladeshi food and for my insanely talented mother, who has honed her craft for over 50 years! When we first opened, my mom would sometimes say she felt like an imposter because she had no formal culinary training. Amma, you’ve shown that it is not culinary school that makes a chef; it’s passion, talent, grit and love, all of which you bring to Korai Kitchen, day in and day out,” shared Nur-E Farhana Rahman.

She went on to thank the foundation and everyone who nominated her mother, as well as “our Korai family who continue to show up for us.”

In a statement, Clare Reichenbach, CEO of the James Beard Foundation, said, “We are thrilled for the return of the James Beard Awards—recognizing the outstandingly talented leaders making their mark on American food.”

“As we’ve heard time and again from honorees, receiving this recognition has the potential to be truly transformative – and so, the Awards remain a vital platform for supporting and elevating the independent restaurant cycle as a whole,” she said, who went on to congratulate the 2024 semifinalists and wish them luck.

Finalists in all categories will be announced April 3; winners will be revealed June 10 at a ceremony at the Lyric Opera in Chicago, according to the foundation.