James Beard changes award listing for New England chef
Chef Lee Frank had initially been listed in the award category in association with Lee Frank's in South Berwick, a casual burger and hot dog joint he's owned and operated since 2021. The official award listings on the James Beard website now cite Otis Restaurant, his upscale tasting-menu venue in downtown Exeter, New Hampshire. Frank was nominated for his work at Otis in the same category for the 2024 James Beard Awards.
Frank said the change was made a few weeks after the nominations were announced in late January. He reached out to the Beard foundation to ask about the listing.
"I was shocked that I was listed for a second time," Frank said. "And then I was obviously slightly surprised that it was for the burger joint and not for Otis. Not that the burger joint is not worth it, I think it just doesn't have the connotation that people think when they think of the award."
His contact let him know she would check with the nomination committee about the matter. Shortly after, she let Frank know the committee had decided to change the listing from Lee Frank's to Otis Restaurant.
"In terms of process, for confidentiality, semifinalists are not notified before the public announcement," explained Dawn Padmore, vice president of awards for the James Beard Foundation. "After the semifinalists are announced, we often receive requests for updates or edits to the listings as chefs and restaurants learn about their recognition in real time."
Now that Lee Frank's restaurant has been removed, the two Maine-based nominees in the Best Chef: Northeast category this year are Jake Stevens of Leeward and Jordan Rubin of Mr. Tuna, both in Portland.
"At the end of the day, I'm happy to be nominated regardless of what restaurant it's associated with," Frank said.
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