Alex Phaneuf and Or Amsalam of Lodge Bread Co. not only bake wonderful stuff, they get nominated for wonderful awards. As Semifinalists in the category of “Outstanding Baker” in the 27th Annual James Beard Foundation’s list, they are up against top bakers from Seattle to New York.
If you have not yet made it over to Washington Boulevard for their unique and delicious baked goods, you will have to be patient. They are currently closed for an expansion and remodel, but have a bread truck open at the site on weekends, and also visiting local Farmer’s Markets. The storefront is scheduled to re-open on March 1, 2017, so save the date.
How do you get the attention of the James Beard Foundation? Lodge Bread was selected from a list of over 24,000 online entries, and the prestigious group of semifinalists in 21 categories represents a wide range of culinary talents in ten different regions across the U.S.
The list of semifinalists is then sent to an independent volunteer panel of more than 600 judges from across the country. This panel, which comprises leading regional restaurant critics, food and wine editors, culinary educators, and past James Beard Foundation Restaurant and Chef Award winners, votes on specific award categories to determine the final five nominees in each category.
The same judges then vote on these five nominees to select the winners. Tabulations to determine the nominees and winners are done by independent auditors, Lutz & Carr. The governing Awards Committee, board of trustees, and staff of the James Beard Foundation do not vote, and the results are kept confidential until the presentation of winners in May.
Finalists will be announced on March 15 on Twitter and Facebook Live.
The 2017 James Beard Awards Gala will be held at the Lyric Opera of Chicago on Monday, May 1.
Judith Martin-Straw
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