Interview with 3 Local Chefs, Now James Beard Foundation Awards Semifinalists

A now seven-time nominee from Connecticut and two chefs from Westchester County have been named Best Chef semifinalists in the 2020 James Beard Foundation Awards. Tyler Anderson has carried the torch for Connecticut since 2014 at Millwright’s Restaurant in Simsbury. Newcomers David DiBari from The Cookery in Dobbs Ferry and Eric Gao from O Mandarin in Hartsdale are showing the nation that what is happening in Westcheter’s kitchens should be paid attention to.

Last year, the James Beard Foundation announced it was redefining the regions that make up the Best Chef awards since 2012. Once its own category, the five New York City boroughs will now contend with the rest of the state, which used to fall under the New England region. A statement says this is an effort to begin to “level the playing field” and recognize just how rich the dining world is across America. This year, NYS has 20 semifinalists; just four are outside of NYC.

“In a small town in Westchester, and you’ve been cooking for 11 years, you just didn’t really think that this is something you’d be noted for,” DiBari says. “And it really honestly feels absolutely amazing.” 

“WTF!” was DiBari’s response upon hearing the news through a relative on social media. “Everyone knows the James Beard awards have to be the Grammys of the hospitality industry,” he says.

The news comes on the heels of a 2020 Bib Gourmand nod from Michelin. The Cookery started off as a place where DiBari could branch out, but still cook the food he loves; “an Italian bastard.” The chef and owner then added that the nomination wasn’t necessarily a goal over his decade-long tenure. “We just come to work, and do what we do every day, and we try to do better,” he says. “I try to be as bold and creative, and as tasteful as I possibly can.” 

How does one feel being a Northeast Best Chef semifinalist for the seventh year in a row? “Seventh time is the charm,” Anderson says with a chuckle. “It’s always an honor to be nominated, but I’m ready to win.”

Anderson grew up in California and lived all over the United States before settling in Connecticut, where he first took on a job at a little inn in Essex. Millwright’s focuses on buying goods from local sources, and he adds that while he is not a fan of the term “farm to table,” that is how most patrons would describe his food. Keeping New England products and techniques as a guide, the restaurant does pull from other cuisines worldwide. 

Millwright’s is part of a restaurant group, and Anderson says his team is one reason he has won recognition from the James Beard Foundation over the years. The chef and owner observes how food changes, and melds styles with his sous chef. “The older I get, the more simple I want my food and to just focus on making delicious things,” he adds.

Anderson was not hesitant to point out that Connecticut has some talented people in the culinary industry who deserve just as many eyes on them as there are on him. “Just because I was chosen [as a semifinalist], doesn’t mean I’m the only one representing [the state]. But I’m proud to do it,” he says. 

O Mandarin was a breath of fresh air for the Westchester suburbs, where Chinese food is often thought of as what you’d get at a takeout spot or the ubiquitous Pan-Asian joint, and likely to be Cantonese. In a country where there are over 50 ethnicities, Chinese cuisine is just as diverse. 

So, Gao had more than enough room to show the county and beyond what Mandarin food has to offer, without having to make a trip to Manhattan or Flushing. James Beard semifinalist bragging rights after barely two years of opening (and much local praise) is a definite sign that he is doing right by the cuisine.

“The Chinese food in America sucks,” says owner and partner Peter Liu, who spoke on Gao’s behalf and noted that all staff were excited at the chef being recognized in all of New York state. Liu owned a “trendy Asian fusion restaurant” for 10 years in Port Chester. But he wanted to go back to his roots. O Mandarin has featured chefs from China to come cook in its kitchen, and has people coming from Greenwich and even Flushing. 

“As the younger generation, we sort of have a mission to really carry the Chinese food to another level; that’s our goal,” Liu says of his partnership with Gao. “There’s thousands of years of history; and in America, that’s lacking. There’s a market, and room to grow.”

Given the coronavirus outbreak, Chinese eateries nationwide have seen business decrease over the past few weeks, by around 30 percent. While O Mandarin has not seen such a drop, Liu still wanted to bring up the racism tied to the virus. “We have kids calling us trying to order corona soup,” he says with a clear disappointment.

Liu is aware that the average American palate may not take to the heat and salt in Mandarin food, so flavor is king. He was also strategic in picking the Hartsdale location close to the H Mart, the largest Asian supermarket chain in America. “We kind of played it safe [with O Mandarin],” he said. “But we were surprised when we opened; we saw that Americans want something like this. And at first, most diners were Chinese, now its 70 to 80 percent American.”

View the full list for this year’s semifinalists here. Finalists will be announced on March 25.