LYNN — Rachel Miller, the owner and chef of Nightshade Noodle Bar, located at 73 Exchange St. was nominated as a finalist for the James Beard Foundation’s Outstanding Chef award.
The James Beard Foundation nonprofit celebrates and highlights those who advance cuisine and food culture throughout the country. In January, the nonprofit selected Miller as one of 20 semifinalists.
This week, the list has been narrowed to only five chefs from across the country. The winner will be recognized at the James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards Ceremony on Monday, June 5, at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.
The winning chef, the foundation wrote, will be one who “sets high culinary standards and has served as a positive example for other food professionals, while contributing positively to their broader community.”
Miller opened Nightshade, a French and Vietnamese-inspired seafood restaurant, in autumn 2019. She started her career cooking at a small restaurant on the coast of Virginia, her home state. She went on to work at some of Boston’s most highly-rated restaurants including Lionetti’s in the South End, and Clio, which was Ken Oringer’s flagship restaurant, where she led the kitchen as chef de cuisine.
Miller denied requests for comment on her most recent nomination; however, back in January, the chef said she was “beyond elated” to represent Lynn alongside some of the nation’s top chefs.
“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 then.
