You may wonder how one feels when they are on what is called ‘the long list’ for a James Beard Award for Outstanding Restaurant. The last time we were on this list was for Best Chef Northwest in 2017. At that time it seemed that there were always new restaurants that had just opened on these lists. We felt then “Hmmm; okay? What is this based on; we have only been open for less than a year?”
During the pandemic there were a lot of aha moments regarding the behind the scenes workings of the hospitality industry. (Some not so pleasant, by the way.) It seems JBF has made some changes to their processes, etc. which is nice to see…new names, more diverse collections of food and culture, etc.
We stood strong through the dark days of the pandemic with the constant support of our team and our guests and gradually the light came. We are so happy to still be here, doing what we love. The reward is the lasting relationships we have created along the way. We are still close with most of our former employees and sometimes they help us out when we really need it.
Fast forward to this season of the nominations. We found out we were on this list from a colleague in the food industry. She sent Shaun a message while he was unpacking the produce for the day, congratulating us. Outstanding by definition means ‘exceptionally good.’ We hope to be that every day. Who knows what will happen? It’s nice to be recognized. What we can say for sure is this:
The accolade belongs to our team. They work together to uphold the standards that we set. This award nomination is due to them; we cannot do it alone. Congrats, team! Keep this moment with you; you deserve it.