In the category of BEST NEW RESTAURANT:
Thirty Acres, in Jersey City, was the one NJ entry among the 29 nominees from around the country. Chef Kevin Pemoulié, a Cranford native, and his wife, Alex, opened the restaurant last April. Pemoulié had spent five years as chef de cuisine at David Chang’s Momofuku Noodle Bar in New York.
In the category of BEST CHEF: MID-ATLANTIC:
Scott Anderson of Elements in Princeton and Joey Baldino of Zeppoli in Collingswood were among the 20 nominees. New York City has its own category for Best Chef. Six of the Mid-Atlantic nominees are from Philadelphia, five from Washington, DC, and two from Baltimore.
Elements opened in the fall of 2008 and has been named to NJM’s Top 25 list every year beginning with the August, 2009 Best Restaurants issue. The food is as adventurous and state of the art as any served in New Jersey. Anderson grew up in Caldwell and graduated from Rutgers.
Zeppoli opened in August of 2011. Its food is Sicilian, as is Baldino’s family on his father’s side. Before opening Zeppoli, Baldino, a Philasdelphia native, studied in Sicily with famed home cook and author Anna Tasca.
In the category of BEST CHEF: WEST:
Matthew Accarrino of SPQR in San Francisco was one of 20 nominees. Accarrino, a native Jerseyan, got his start at Blue Sky in Montclair.
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT:
Monday, March 18, announcement of finalists in all categories.
Friday, May 3, announcement of winners of the Book, Broadcast & Journalism Awards.
Monday, May 6, announcement of winners of the Restaurant and Chef Awards at gala at Lincoln Center.