3 Rhode Island chefs nominated for James Beard award. Here's what they're cooking
Two Providence chefs and a Native American chef with a restaurant in Charlestown have won nominations for the 2023 James Beard Foundation Awards.
Robert Andreozzi of Pizza Marvin in Providence, Milena Pagán of Little Sister in Providence and Sherry Pocknett of Sly Fox Den, Too, in Charlestown, are all nominated for Best Chef Northeast. They are among 20 semi-finalist nominees in the regional category.
All three are first-time nominees for James Beard awards, considered the "Oscars" of the hospitality world. All opened their restaurants post-COVID-19 pandemic.
Pizza Marvin's chef receives James Beard nomination
Andreozzi is the chef/owner of Pizza Marvin at 468 Wickenden St. He and business partner Jesse Hedberg opened the old-style pizza parlor with a modern menu of food and cocktails in Providence in December 2020.
Little Sister in Providence receives James Beard nomination
Pagán is the chef/owner of Little Sister at 737a Hope St. in Providence, an artisan café with a menu of Puerto Rican specialties. They serve breakfast pastries, brunch and lunch. Her husband, Darcy Coleman, is a co-owner. Pagán also opened the popular Rebelle Artisan Bagels in Providence in 2017.
Sly Fox Den, Too chef, who serves up Native American cuisine, gets award nomination
Pocknett opened her Sly Fox Den, Too, in Charlestown in 2021 at 4349 South County Trail. The Wampanoag chef/owner serves Native American cuisine. The restaurant grew out of her Connecticut-based catering business. She opened in the former home of the Gentleman Farmer Diner. She grew up on Cape Cod, where her extended family ran The Flume restaurant, and she previously worked as food and beverage director at the Mashantucket Pequot Museum & Research Center.
Other James Beard 2023 Semifinalists
The 2023 Restaurant and Chef Semifinalists cover 23 categories, and the five finalists in each category will be announced on March 29, according to a release from the James Beard Foundation. Winners will be recognized at the James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards Ceremony on June 5 at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.
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The other nominees for Best Chef Northeast are: Paul Callahan of Vino e Vivo, in Exeter, New Hampshire, and Jeff Fournier of Thompson House Eatery in Jackson, New Hampshire; Mojo Hancy-Davis of May Day in Burlington, and Alganesh Michael of A Taste of Abyssinia in South Burlington, both in Vermont; Valentine Howell of Krasi, Yahya Noor of Tawakal Halal Cafe, Yisha Siu of Yunnan Kitchen, Derrick Teh of Sekali and Douglass Williams of Mida, all in Boston; Christian Hunter of Community Table in Washington and Renee Touponce and The Port of Call in Mystic, both in Connecticut; Sara Jenkins of Nina June in Rockport, Jason LaVerdiere of Flux of Lisbon Falls, Courtney Loreg of Woodford Food & Beverage in Portland, Tony Pastor of Fore Street in Portland and Isaul Perez of Isa in Portland, all in Maine; and Ellie Tiglao of Tanám in Somerville, Massachusetts.
The foundation made its first awards in 1991. The only Rhode Island winners of the Best Chef Northeast category were Al Forno's Johanne Killeen and the late George Germon in 1993. Aunt Carrie's in Narragansett and Olneyville New York System in Providence have been awarded as "America's Classics."
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Pizza Marvin, Little Sister, Sly Fox Den Too nominated for James Beard
