Four upstate chefs nominated by the James Beard Foundation

Four upstate chefs nominated by the James Beard Foundation

Stissing House in Pine Plains.

Christine Bates

The semifinalists for the James Beard Awards were announced Jan. 24.

In the Best Chefs in New York State category, four upstate chefs were recognized: Clare de Boer of Stissing House in Pine Plains, Doris Choi of Good Night in Woodstock, Shaina Loew-Banayan of Café Mutton in Hudson and Chris Mauricio of Harana Market in Accord. The final nominees will be announced in April, followed by an awards ceremony with the winners in June, complete with a red carpet, lifetime achievement awards, and lots of chefs wearing aprons.

Also, like the Oscars, the selection process and the judges who decide the winners are not revealed. FAQs on the foundation’s website state, “The Voting Body, including judges chosen for their expertise per program, then reviews and votes on the eligible entries to determine the nominees and winners, as applicable to each program.”

The yearly James Beard Foundation Awards include wide recognition in many categories including best chef, best restaurant, best new restaurant, outstanding bar, outstanding wine programs, pastry chefs, hospitality, and bakery. Last year, Stissing House was a semifinalist for Best New Restaurant along with 29 other eateries across the country, and that’s just one category. The Best New Restaurant winner last year was Kann, in the Pacific Northwest, serving Haitian-inspired cuisine.

The New York Times publishes its own list of 50 Best Restaurants and included Stissing House among only five restaurants in New York, including New York City, in its 2023 list.

Latest News

Voters approve wakesurfing ban

The July 31 referendum in Kent, Warren and Washington banned wakesurfing on Lake Waramaug.

Photo by Alec Linden

The sport of wakesurfing is now banned on lake Waramaug as the result of a decisive tri-town vote held on Thursday, July 31.

Voters in Kent, Warren and Washington, the three towns that border Lake Waramaug, approved the ordinance with 1452 residents ultimately voting in favor of banning the sport against 421 opposed to it.

Keep ReadingShow less
2025 Jubilee Luncheon
   We look forward to seeing you!

Ruth Franklin discusses ‘The Many Lives of Anne Frank’ at Beth David

Ruth Franklin and Ileene Smith in conversation at Congregation Beth David in Amenia.

Natalia Zukerman

Congregation Beth David in Amenia hosted a conversation on the enduring legacy of Anne Frank, one of the 20th century’s most iconic figures. Ruth Franklin, award-winning biographer and critic, shared insights from her highly acclaimed book “The Many Lives of Anne Frank” with thought-provoking questions from Ileene Smith, Editorial Director of the Jewish Lives series. This event, held on July 23 — the date Anne Frank would have turned 96 — invited the large audience to reconsider Anne Frank not just as the young writer of a world-famous diary, but as a cultural symbol shaped by decades of representation and misrepresentation.

Franklin and Smith dove right in; Franklin reading a passage from the book that exemplified her approach to Anne’s life. She described her work as both a biography of Anne Frank and a cultural history of the diary itself, a document that has resonated across the world.

Keep ReadingShow less
Prokofiev, piano and perfection: Yuja Wang at Tanglewood

Yuja Wang performs with the TMCO and Andris Nelsons.

Hilary Scott

Sunday, July 20 was sunny and warm. Nic Mayorga, son of American concert pianist, the late Lincoln Mayorga, joined me at Tanglewood to hear Yuja Wang play Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in G minor, Op. 16. I first saw Wang on July 8, 2022, when she filled in for Jean-Yves Thibaudet on the opening night of Tanglewood’s summer season. She virtually blew the shed down with her powerful and dynamic playing of Liszt’s Piano Concerto No. 1.

Nic was my guest last season on July 13, when Wang wowed us with her delicate interpretation of Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 4. We made plans on the spot to return for her next date in Lenox.

Keep ReadingShow less