click to enlarge - File: Daria Bishop
- A Negroni at Barr Hill
Two of Vermont's semifinalists in the James Beard Foundation Restaurant and Chef Awards have moved on to the final round. Cara Chigazola Tobin, executive chef and co-owner of Burlington's Honey Road and the Grey Jay, is nominated in the Best Chef: Northeast category, while the cocktail bar at Barr Hill's distillery on Montpelier's Gin Lane is a finalist in the nationwide Outstanding Bar category.
Winners of the prestigious awards will be announced at a ceremony in Chicago on Monday, June 10.
click to enlarge - Courtesy
- Lauren Droege and David Keck of Stella14 Wines with their dogs, Leaf and Pesto
It's one in, one out for the state's winery tasting rooms. Stella14 Wines will close its Jeffersonville tasting space later this month, after hosting its remaining scheduled classes and a party on Saturday, April 27. In a social media post, owners David Keck and Lauren Droege noted that last spring's late frost wiped out 90 percent of their crop and left them "facing a long year of unknown business and very little of our wine to get us through." But the winery itself will continue, and Keck and Droege are "planting more vines everywhere we can," the post said.
click to enlarge - COURTESY
- Ellison Estate Vineyard's Stowe tasting room
In Stowe, Ellison Estate Vineyard has opened a tasting space at 57 Mountain Road. Wines from Kendra and Rob Knapik's regenerative farm in Grand Isle are available by the glass or for tastings in the elegant space tucked unobtrusively behind Once Upon a Time Toys.
The Knapiks hope to "educate and connect people with the concept of Vermont terroir through our wine and what we consider exceptional cheese and charcuterie brands in the state," Kendra told Seven Days.
click to enlarge - File: Alice Levitt
- Cha giò at Pho K&K
Two Chittenden County restaurants closed permanently in March. Cody's Irish Pub & Grille in Essex ended its 25-year-plus run after a final service on St. Patrick's Day; owner Kevin Cody cited "personal circumstances" in a social media announcement.
On March 26, the children of Pho K&K co-owner Khanh Le posted that the Vietnamese restaurant in Williston's Maple Tree Place had permanently closed. Le, who owned the 10-year-old business with his wife, Khanh Pham, suffered a stroke at the restaurant on March 19. An update to the family's GoFundMe on April 3 noted that Le was awake and in stable condition.
Correction, April 15, 2024: An earlier version of this story misstated the location of Cody's Irish Pub & Grille. It was in Essex.