It’s that time of the year once again, when the James Beard Foundation announces their restaurant and chef award finalists.
The list was revealed Wednesday, and one of New Jersey’s premier pizza chefs made the cut.
Dan Richer of Razza in Jersey City was named a finalist in the Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic category. The region covers Washington D.C., Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and New Jersey.
Handmade pizza from the wood fired oven at Razza Pizza Artigianale on Grove Street in Jersey City on June 9, 2023. Jeff Rhode / For NJ Advance Medi
The nomination comes as no surprise as Richer has been awarded numerous times for his pizza at Razza. He has received various accolades from 50TopPizza, PizzaToday.com and beyond. Richer has also been named a six-time James Beard regional semifinalist, and in 2011 was named a “Rising Star Chef of the Year” semifinalist.
Razza’s burrata pie ranked No. 6 on our best pizzas list, and the pizzeria is the top restaurant in our Jersey City restaurant ranking.
Winners will be crowned June 16 at an award ceremony in Chicago. Semifinalists for the awards were announced in January, with Richer and David Viana of Heirloom Kitchen and Lita acclaim both nominated.
There have been 11 James Beard Award-winning chefs and restaurants in New Jersey. Most recently, Corrine’s Place in Camden won an American Classics award in 2022, an honor given “to locally owned restaurants that have timeless appeal and are beloved regionally for quality food that reflects the character of its community.”
Stories by Lauren Musni
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Lauren Musni may be reached at lmusni@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @Laurengmusni and on Instagram @laurengisellemusni.