Which Local Chefs and Eateries are Nominees for a James Beard Award?
A vegan restaurant, a place for traditional Chinese dishes and a new Scandinavian eatery are included.
BLOOMFIELD’S FET-FISK IS INCLUDED IN JAMES BEARD AWARDS’ LIST OF BEST NEW RESTAURANTS. | PHOTO BY KRISTY GRAVER
It’s the 35th anniversary of the James Beard Awards and, once again, Pittsburgh chefs and eateries are in the spotlight.
Kate Lasky and Tomasz Skowronski, owners of Bloomfield’s Apteka, and Chengdu Gourmet‘s Wei Zhu — who has locations in Squirrel Hill and Ross — are nominated for the Best Chef Mid-Atlantic award, which covers Pennsylvania, Washington D.C., Delaware, New Jersey, Maryland and Virginia.
It’s the fourth straight year the Apteka team — they specialize in cuisine from Eastern and Central Europe — has been nominated in the category. Both restaurants also are perennial favorites on Pittsburgh Magazine’s Best Restaurants list.
Fet-Fisk, a Scandinavian eatery in Bloomfield, was included in James Beard Awards’ list of Best New Restaurants.
Established in 1990 and first awarded in 1991, the Restaurant and Chef Awards are one of five separate recognition programs of the James Beard Awards. The awards recognize exceptional talent and achievement in the culinary arts, hospitality, media, and broader food system, as well as a demonstrated commitment to racial and gender equity, community, sustainability and a culture where all can thrive.
The Restaurant and Chef Award nominees will be announced on April 2, and winners will be celebrated at the James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards ceremony on June 16, 2025, at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.
