A Maine chef and a restaurateur are finalists for James Beard Awards
Bangor Daily News • • entertainment
Key Points:
- Dana Street, founder of Fore Street, Scales, and Standard Baking Co. in Portland, is a finalist for the Outstanding Restaurateur award at the 2026 James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards.
- Thomas Takashi Cooke of Izakaya Minato in Portland is a finalist for Best Chef in the Northeast.
- Five other Maine chefs and establishments, including Sara Jenkins, Jeremy Broucek, Chris Gould, Jake Stevens, and Night Moves Bread, were semifinalists but did not make the final cut.
- The James Beard Foundation recognizes finalists for their exceptional talent and leadership in the independent restaurant industry, with winners to be announced on June 15 at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.
- Recent Maine winners include ZU Bakery and Atsuko Fujimoto in 2024, The Quarry in 2023, and Rob Tod of Allagash Brewing Company in 2019.
