These 21 D.C.-Area Restaurants And Chefs Are James Beard Semifinalists

The team at Thamee includes Jocelyn Law-Yone, center left, and her daughter Simone Jacobson, center right.

Now in its 30th year, the coveted James Beard Awards recognize the best chefs, restaurants, and food writers across the U.S.—and the newly announced semifinalists for the 2020 awards include 21 chefs and restaurants in the D.C. area.

Thamee, H Street’s Burmese restaurant, and Rooster & Owl, the husband-and-wife-owned tasting room on 14th Street, are both up for best new restaurant of the year.

In 2019, Kwame Onwuachi took home the rising star chef award. Three locals were also nominated this year: Daniela Moreira of Timber Pizza in Petworth, Paola Velez of Kith and Kin (Onwuachi’s Afro-Caribbean restaurant at The Wharf), and Angel Barreto of Anju.

Barreto’s nomination wasn’t the only nod for the Korean restaurant, which opened over the summer and was recently named the best restaurant in the D.C. area by Washingtonian. Anju’s Danny Lee was also nominated for best chef mid-Atlantic, along with seven other D.C. area chefs: Jon Sybert of Tail Up Goat and Amy Brandwein of Centrolina, who both made last year’s list; Peter Prime, behind new Caribbean hotspot Cane; Zenebech Dessu of the Ethiopian staple, Zenebech Restaurant; Cagla Onal-Urel of Green Almond Pantry, which was one of Bon Apetit’s 24 best restaurants of the year; Peter and Lisa Chang of Mama Chang in Fairfax; and Victor Albisu of the upscale Mexican restaurant Poca Madre.

Last year’s awards resulted in four D.C.-based winners, a notable improvement from years past (the District saw only one winner in 2017 and 2018.) The 2020 finalists will be announced in Philadelphia on Wednesday, March 25, and the award ceremony will be held on Monday, May 4 in Chicago.

Here’s the full list of nominees:

Best new restaurant:

Outstanding chef: