Awards season is in full effect 🏆

James Beard Award Semifinalists from Boston, MA

Drinks at the bar at La Royal in Cambridge.

Take a seat at the La Royal bar. | Photo by @eatswithv

It’s like the Oscars for foodies — and we’re hungry to dish on these nominees. Yesterday, the James Beard Foundation announced its annual list of semifinalists for the 2023 restaurant and chef awards.

The list is broken up by individuals and restaurants, and the Bay State can claim a number of potential award-winning eateries and chefs. Let’s take a look at the local nominees.

Best Chef: Northeast Nominees

Douglass Williams — MIDA
Valentine Howell — Krasi
Derrick Teh — SEKALI
Yahya Noor — Tawakal Halal Cafe
Yisha Siu — Yunnan Kitchen

Additionally, Ellie Tiglao received a nomination for Best Chef for their work at Tanám at Bow Market in Somerville, which is now closed.

Nominees around Massachusetts

Outstanding Restaurant: PAGU, Cambridge + Red Rose Restaurant, Lowell
Best New Restaurant: La Royal, Cambridge
Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program: Rebel Rebel, Somerville
Emerging Chef: Vinh Le — Cicada Coffee Bar, Cambridge
Outstanding Chef: Rachel Miller — Nightshade Noodle Bar, Lynn

Save the date for Monday, June 5, when the finalists will be announced at an awards presentation, followed by a winners gala.

Who was snubbed?

Let us know what local chef or restaurant should have been nominated for an award.

TAKING NOMINATIONS HERE

Click here to have your event featured.

Thursday, Jan. 26

May Stevens: “My Mothers” Opening Day | Thursday, Jan. 26 | 12-8 p.m. | MassArt Art Museum, 621 Huntington Ave., Boston | Free | See the work of the Dorchester native and founding member of the Guerrilla Girls + the collective feminist journal Heresies.
Film Screening: “One Foot in the Grave, the Other Still Dancing” | Thursday, Jan. 26 | 2 p.m. | Central Library, 700 Boylston St., Boston | Free | Watch the 45-minute film by Abe Osheroff.

Friday, Jan. 27

January Teen Gallery | Friday, Jan. 27 | 6-8 p.m. | ICA Seaport Studio, 100 Pier 4 Blvd., Boston | Free | View an exhibition by a group of creative local teens in the Seaport museum’s Teen Gallery.

Saturday, Jan. 28

Super Mercado | Saturday, Jan. 28 | 12-5 p.m. | Charles River Speedway, 525 Western Ave., Brighton | Free to attend | Shop the market featuring local businesses, enjoy the pop-up bar, and listen to tunes from a DJ.
Wine & Seltzer Party | Saturday, Jan. 28 | 3 p.m. | Time Out Market Boston, 401 Park Dr., Boston | $29-$49 | Join one of two sessions for wine and seltzer tastings, plus a silent auction.
Lunar New Year Festival: Year of the Rabbit | Saturday, Jan. 28 | 10 a.m.-4 p.m. | Peabody Essex Museum, 161 Essex St., Salem | Cost of admission | Join the celebration with performances, storytelling, and crafts to celebrate the Year of the Rabbit.

Sunday, Jan. 29

Poetry Open Mic Night | Sunday, Jan. 29 | 7-9 p.m. | Trident Booksellers & Cafe, 338 Newbury St., Boston | Free | Seating is first come, first served — each mic slot gets about three minutes of stage time.

We have a calendar filled with events and activities you can plan for in advance. Click the button below to bookmark ideas for upcoming date nights, family outings, and time with friends.

100+ MORE EVENTS

Weather

49º | Partly cloudy | 20% chance of rain

Transit

A portion of the Orange Line will be closed for repair on Saturday, Jan. 28 and Sunday, Jan. 29. The MBTA will be working on the track between Ruggles Station and North Station. Plus, the Green Line will be impacted between Government Center Station and North Station for continued work on the Government Center Garage. (Boston Globe)

Biz

Moderna Inc. is planning to hire 2,000 employees this year, with a majority of the new hires being based in Massachusetts. The Cambridge-based company will be adding to the clinical development, digital, commercial, and manufacturing teams. 💼 (Boston Business Journal)

Award

The Boston Public Library’s Adams Street Branch has won two Boston Society of Architects Design Awards. The ~13,000-sqft Dorchester branch was completed in 2021 and received a Merit Award for the Interior Architecture & Spatial Design + an Honor Award for Design Excellence. 🏆

Watch

The first trailer for the new documentary about the life and legacy of Bill Russell is now out. The film will showcase the Celtics player’s basketball career, his human rights work, and the final interview before he died last year. Tune in on Wednesday, Feb. 8 to watch “Bill Russell: Legend” on Netflix. 📺

Community

Last year, the Lowe’s Hometowns initiative helped renovate the South Boston Neighborhood Development Corporation with new garden planters. Lowe’s is now accepting nominations for community projects like neighborhood shelters, outdoor community spaces, food pantries, senior citizen centers + youth clubs. Apply by Monday, Feb. 20.

Active

The Boston Athletic Association announced that runners who are expecting or have recently had a child can defer their race entries for the 5K, 10K, Half, and Marathon races this year. Any registered athlete who is or becomes pregnant prior to race day can defer for one of the next two future races. 👟 (7 News)

Traffic

An arch bridge design has been selected as the preferred style to replace the Sagamore and Bourne bridges. The Cape Cod bridges have been in place since the 1930s. Construction is expected to begin in the fall of 2025. (Boston.com)

Number

80. That’s how many points the Bruins have accumulated so far this season in just 47 games. That’s the fastest a team has reached this milestone in NHL history, breaking the previous record by two games. (CBS Boston) 🏒 (CBS Boston)

Sports

Karenna Groff has been selected as the NCAA Woman of the Year for her excellence on and off the field. The MIT soccer player + biological engineering student is the sixth Division III student-athlete to be recognized for the award.

Finance

Erase credit card interest until nearly 2025? Sounds good to us. This balance transfer card can do just that, providing you up to 21 months for the important stuff: travel, education, good food, time with family, or paying off debt. Apply today in minutes.*

Shop

Have you heard? Amazon now offers subscription boxes. Best of all — there’s a huge selection. Love trying out top rated beauty products? Subscribe to the Allure Beauty Box. Music aficionado? Join the Vinyl of the Month Club. Pet parent? Your cat will love the KitNipBox. 📦 *

Content marked with an * is brought to you by our advertising partners and helps make this newsletter free.

It’s been a busy year for Mayor Wu

A recap on the State of Boston

Shot of the Boston Harbor Hotel and buildings around the harbor

The state of the city is strong. | Photo by @_shutterart_

Mayor Wu gave the first State of the City address last night after taking office about 14 months ago. She highlighted recent accomplishments and outlined future policies she plans to make a priority in the next year — here’s a quick recap on the plans for the city:

🚋 Reducing all the Commuter Rail fares to $2.40 per trip, and ensuring city representation for one of the seven seats on the MBTA Board of Directors.
⚡Turning up the heat on consumer protection by banning “predatory competitive electric supply companies” with high electric bills.
🍼 Providing childcare vouchers for families that are experiencing homelessness for up to one year.
🏠 Opening the door to rent stabilization with the first rent control proposal in 30 years.
💰 Introducing a 2% tax on real estate transactions that are more than $2 million, which could generate ~$100 million annually to create more affordable housing options, some of which could be built on public land.
📈 Committing to reevaluate the city’s planning process, including a new city department for planning and design.

If you missed the annual update, you can still check out the Mayor’s speech from MGM Music Hall.

THE WRAP

Today’s issue was written by Jessica.

Editor’s pick: Don’t be fooled — go and follow this account on TikTok. The Golden Globes winner, Hasty Pudding Woman of the Year + Norwell native Jennifer Coolidge has officially joined the social media platform. In less than a week, she’s already gained 880,000+ followers.

Watch her recite a “poem” from another famous Jenny here.

Missed yesterday’s newsletter? Turn the page and check out this Boston reading list.

Connect with us.

Editorial: Jessica Burton, Sara Frazier, Josh Kranzberg, Emily Shea, Jessalin Heins-Nagamoto, Dayten Rose, Sarah Leonhardt, Katie Smith | Send us a scoop, question, or feedback.

Sales: Peter Baldassare | Advertise with us.

Content marked with an * was created in partnership with 6AM City’s advertising partners. Paid content helps keep this newsletter free. 6AM City may also receive a commission on purchases made through affiliate links in this newsletter.

ADVERTISE | SHOP | CAREERS | ETHICS

Did a friend forward this free newsletter to you?