James Beard Award nominees listed for state

Bellingham — Washington may not have Michelin-ranked restaurants, but it does have the James Beard awards. This week, Washington restaurants were well-represented among the 2024 nominees for the James Beard Foundation’s annual restaurant awards on April 3.

Eight restaurants from around the state made the cut for the Outstanding Restaurateur category, as well as Emerging Chef and Best New Restaurant. Here are the dining destinations the James Beard Foundation thinks are worthy of distinction.

Seattle Vietnamese food dynasty

Sisters Quynh-Vy and Yenvy Pham made the cut in the nationwide Outstanding Restaurateur category for their trio of Vietnamese restaurants: Pho Bac Súp Shop, as well as Phocific Standard Time and The Boat.

Pho Bac Súp Shop, which opened in 1982, now has three locations serving its namesake Vietnamese soup. The duo branched out in recent years, opening PST, a cocktail bar, and turning the original Pho Bac Súp Shop location into The Boat, a Vietnamese fried chicken spot.

Eastern and Western Washington newcomers

Located about a 25-minute drive northeast of Walla Walla, Bar Bacetto in tiny Waitsburg has made waves with its cocktails and pasta. Despite being located in a city of only 1,200 people, it’s a finalist in the nationwide Best New Restaurant category.

Another up-and-coming restaurant made the cut. Seattle pop-up turned full-time restaurant Pancita and its chef Janet Becerra are finalists in the nationwide Emerging Chef category. The restaurant serves a small menu of tostadas, tacos, chicken and fish.

Best Pacific Northwest chef finalists

The rest of Washington’s finalists came in the Best Chef: Northwest and Pacific category.

• In Seattle, Melissa Miranda of Filipino restaurant Musang.
• Kristi Brown of soul food bar and restaurant Communion.
• On Orcas Island, Avery Adams for his farm-to-table restaurant Matia.

The 2024 James Beard award winners in Washington will be announced on June 10.