Two Pinoy chefs have been nominated to the Oscars of the culinary world – just as the country has declared April as Filipino food month.
The James Beard Foundation announced that Nikko Cagalanan and Lord Maynard Llera are finalists for its 2024 awards, with the winners to be announced at the annual James Beard Restaurant and Chefs awards ceremony on June 10 at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.
Cagalanan, the champion of the Food Network show “Chopped,” works at Kultura in Charleston, South Carolina and is in the running for the Emerging Chef Category.
Meanwhile, Quezon province-born Lord Maynard Llera of Kuya Lord was named as a finalist for California’s Best Chef.
Kuya Lord opened shop in Hollywood in the summer of 2022 and had quickly wrapped up many local honors.
The awards are voted on by more than 600 culinary professionals, including previous award winners. Recipients receive a medallion etched with the image of James Beard and a certificate from the foundation.
Anointed the “Dean of American cookery” by the New York Times in 1954,James Beard laid the groundwork for the food revolution that put America at the forefront of global gastronomy.
The James Beard Foundation is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to celebrate, support, and elevate the people behind America’s food culture and champion a standard of good food anchored in talent, equity, and sustainability.
