LYNN — Rachel Miller, the owner and chef of Nightshade Noodle Bar at 73 Exchange St., was listed as a semi-finalist for the James Beard Foundation’s Outstanding Chef award Wednesday.
The James Beard Foundation is a non-profit that celebrates and highlights those who advance cuisine and food culture throughout the country.
The foundation will present the Outstanding Chef award to one of 20 semi-finalists from across the country — “A chef who sets high culinary standards and has served as a positive example for other food professionals, while contributing positively to their broader community,” the James Beard Foundation wrote.
Finalists will be announced on Wednesday, March 29, and the award winners for each category will be recognized at the James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards Ceremony on Monday, June 5, at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.
Miller opened Nightshade, a French and Vietnamese inspired seafood restaurant in the Fall of 2019. She started her career cooking at a small restaurant on the coast of Virginia, her home state, and went on to work at some of Boston’s most highly-rated restaurants, including Lionetti’s in the South End, and Clio, Ken Oringer’s flagship restaurant, where she led the kitchen as chef de cuisine.
In a written statement, Miller said that she worked alongside many of the nominated chefs, and felt honored to be considered for the award.
“I’m beyond elated- like the regional categories, 20 chefs are nominated but this category in particular is a lineup of chefs across the entire country. Some of the others in the Outstanding Chef category this year are chefs I’ve long looked up to and been inspired by. This is an enormous privilege and I’m just so excited to represent our city with a nomination for such a prestigious award,” Miller said.
