The James Beard Foundation announced the semifinalists for its 2024 Restaurant and Chef Awards on Wednesday, January 24. Two Vermont chefs and one bar were recognized in the first round of the prestigious awards.
Micah Tavelli of Paradiso Hi-Fi and Cara Chigazola Tobin of Honey Road, both in Burlington, made the semifinalist list for Best Chef: Northeast. The cocktail bar at Barr Hill‘s distillery in Montpelier was named in the nationwide Outstanding Bar category.
Tavelli was in the Paradiso kitchen prepping for service when he heard the news. “I told my fiancée not to tell me if she saw the list, but she called me as soon as she saw it,” Tavelli told Seven Days on Wednesday morning. “It’s crazy, honestly.”
Paradiso’s restaurant and listening lounge opened behind Dedalus Wine Shop, Market & Wine Bar in November 2022. Tavelli, who is also a partner in the business, previously ran the kitchen at Dedalus and is an alum of Hen of the Wood. He sold Paradiso founder/co-owner Jason Zuliani on a “regional, seasonal menu of shareable plates using techniques including fermentation and dehydration,” Seven Days wrote in January 2023.
“Micah is a guy who wants to explore food through a different lens,” Zuliani said at the time.
For Tavelli, the recognition is a reflection of how the Paradiso team cooks and runs service. “It’s something that we’ve talked a lot about — like, ‘Hey, this is what we want to accomplish. We’d love to get nominated,'” Tavelli said. “But I think all of us have not been holding our breath. It’s a whirlwind of emotions right now.”
This is the fourth time Chigazola Tobin, executive chef and co-owner of Honey Road and the Grey Jay, has made the list for Best Chef: Northeast. Last year, Honey Road pastry chef Amanda Wildermuth was a semifinalist in the Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker category.
“It’s nice to have that validation,” Chigazola Tobin said. “This one’s definitely for the team at Honey Road. It wouldn’t be what it is without them.”
Patrick Amice, Barr Hill’s general manager of hospitality, said the Montpelier bar’s team would likely celebrate with a round of Bee’s Knees cocktails — a favorite at the distillery known for its honey-based gin.
Barr Hill is up against 19 beverage businesses from around the country in the Outstanding Bar category, including wine, beer, coffee and cocktail bars.
“Being one of only two distilleries [recognized] pays testament to what is so amazing about our team,” Amice said. “All these other bars have every ingredient at their disposal, but we get to really focus on a world-class spirit that is made here in Vermont. All our cocktails highlight this awesome distillery that we work at.”
The next round of the awards — a short list of nominees — will be released on Wednesday, April 3. Winners will be announced at a ceremony in Chicago on Monday, June 10. Vermont chef Nisachon “Rung” Morgan of Saap restaurant in Randolph won Vermont’s first James Beard Foundation Award in the Best Chef: Northeast category in 2022.
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This article appears in Jan 31 – Feb 6, 2024.
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