MD Chef Wins James Beard Award

EASTON, MD — Chef Harley Peet of Bas Rouge restaurant in Easton, Maryland, was honored at Monday’s James Beard Foundation Awards ceremony at the Lyric Opera in Chicago.

The awards, regarded as the Academy Awards of the U.S. restaurant industry, honor excellence across a range of categories, from fine dining to casual gems.

Here's how Bas Rouge is described on its website:

"Bas Rouge is a contemporary European restaurant offering an impeccable integration of fine dining, a world-class wine list, and elegant service. The high style and gorgeous interior offer inspiration in one of the Eastern Seaboard's cultural and historic gems, Easton, Talbot County, Maryland. The dining experience is refined, and the dishes are characterized by their polished adaptation of traditional Viennese and European classics, with ingredients from the finest local purveyors and farms."

The restaurant serves an a la carte lunch on Thursdays and Fridays from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

It offers prix fixe dinner service of three courses for $125 or four courses for $150 from 5 to 9 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday.

Both the á la carte lunch menu and prix-fixe dinner menu change frequently to reflect seasonality.

Bas Rouge presents a modern take on traditional European dishes, using ingredients such as Osetra Caviar, Jumbo Lump Crab Spätzle and Elysian Fields Rack of Lamb. Peet employs rare ingredients from around the world in addition to locally-harvested produce, seafood, and pasture-raised meats from Eastern Shore farmers and watermen, the restaurant said.

“These remarkable individuals embody the very essence of our Good Food for Good ethos, showcasing exceptional talent, unwavering dedication to their craft, and a steadfast commitment to elevating the industry,” James Beard Foundation CEO Clare Reichenbach said in a news release. “With their passion, skill, and leadership, they are shaping our nation's dining landscape and setting a new standard for culinary excellence.”

Bas Rouge is located at 19 Federal St. in Easton; its phone number is 410-822-1637.

Also, these Maryland restaurants and chefs were named semifinalists:

Outstanding Hospitality: Charleston in Baltimore

Outstanding Bar: Clavel Mezcaleria, Baltimore

Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic

• Tony Conte, Inferno Pizzeria Napoletana, Darnestown
• David Zamudio, Alma Cocina Latina, Baltimore

Established in 1990, with the first ceremony taking place in 1991, the Restaurant and Chef Awards is one of five separate recognition programs for the foundation’s awards.

The 2024 Restaurant and Chef Awards winners are recognized across 22 categories.