Beard awards have lots of local nominees

Bay Area restaurants are making a particularly strong showing in nominations for this year’s James Beard Foundation Awards, which is among the most important honors in the food industry.

Two of the five finalists for the nation’s best new restaurant award hail from San Francisco: In Situ, Corey Lee’s restaurant in the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and Tartine Manufactory, the sequel to Tartine Bakery.

The Bay Area also notched 40 percent of the nominees in the country’s outstanding chef category, with fine dining leaders Christoper Kostow of the Restaurant at Meadowood (St. Helena) and David Kinch of Manresa (Los Gatos) up for the honor, alongside Gabrielle Hamilton of Prune (New York), Donald Link of Herbsaint (New Orleans) and Michael Solomonov of Zahav (Philadelphia).

Lee also earned a nod for his work at his 4-star San Francisco restaurant, Benu, in the regional chef category, alongside Dominique Crenn of Atelier Crenn.

San Francisco’s Quince is up for outstanding restaurant; the last time a local restaurant took that award was 2014, when the Slanted Door in the

Ferry Building Marketplace won. In other national categories: Belinda Leong and Michel Suas of B. Patisserie in San Francisco made the shortlist for outstanding baker, while Thad Vogler’s Bar Agricole in San Francisco was named a finalist in the outstanding bar program category.

On the wine side, Miljenko “Mike” Grgich of Rutherford’s Grgich Hills Estate is nominated for outstanding wine, beer or spirits professional. Benu was also nominated in the outstanding wine category.

Terra of St. Helena was nominated for outstanding service.

Winners will be announced May 1.