BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – They’re the Oscars of the food industry, and people and places in our region are now one step closer to winning one.
The semifinalists in the 2024 James Beard Awards were announced last month. Micah Tavelli of Paradiso Hi-Fi in Burlington and Cara Tobin at Honey Road were nominated for Best Chef in the Northeast. The Barr Hill Cocktail Bar in Montpelier made the list for Outstanding Bar. Kristina Zontini at Super Secret Ice Cream in Bethlehem, New Hampshire, was named for Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker. WCAX is visiting all of them in the coming weeks.
At Honey Road on Church Street in Burlington, co-owner and chef Cara Tobin brings Mediterranean flair to the Green Mountain State.
“It’s sort of that combination of eastern Mediterranean flavors with Vermont local,” said Tobin.
The restaurant specializes in small, shareable plates that focus on local ingredients. They have some staples that customers can count on but the rest of the menu changes seasonally, and everything new gets scrutinized carefully. Chef Tobin says colors are where she starts, like carrots. A plate on the menu right now features the versatile veggie and has been a labor of love. “That dish took me five years to figure out,” Tobin said.
That attention to detail has caught the attention of some of the nation’s top food critics before. “This is my fourth semifinalist nomination for best chef Northeast,” Tobin said
Reporter Cat Viglienzoni: What does it say about Honey Road that you keep ending up on the Oscars of the food industry?
Cara Tobin: Oh it means that we have a great team. It means that we’re doing something right and that we clearly have people that clearly care about what they’re doing here.
In addition to four semifinal nominations for Tobin, Honey Road also earned James Beard nods in 2018 for Best New Restaurant, and again last year for their pastry chef’s culinary creations. But they have yet to take home a win.
Reporter Cat Viglienzoni: Are you hoping that this is the year that you go beyond the semifinals?
Cara Tobin: Yes. I hope this is the year, that would be great.
She says nominations aren’t their goal, but they do cause a spike in interest. Walk-in seating is up and reservations that are usually booked well in advance anyway are also coming in faster. “People are excited about the food and they know that we… they know our quality and they know that we care about quality both in service and in food,” Tobin said.
She’ll find out in early April if this will be the year that she moves on to the finalist round.