Business & Tech

Woodberry Kitchen Chef Spike Gjerde Named James Beard Finalist

The James Beard Association announced the list of finalists Monday.

North Baltimore Chef Spike Gjerde has long enjoyed local acclaim, but is now taking the national spotlight as a finalist for a James Beard award—a highly prestigious honor.

Gjerde, of Woodberry Kitchen, is among five finalists for the 2013 Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic (D.C., DE, MD, NJ, PA, VA) award, the James Beard Foundation announced Monday. He is competing alongside Cathal Armstrong of Restaurant Eve in Alexandria, VA; Johnny Monis of Komi in Washington, D.C.; Brad Spence of Amis in Philadelphia, PA and Vikram Sunderam of Rasika in Washington, D.C.

The foundation describes the nominees in the following way:

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"Chefs who have set new or consistent standards of excellence in their respective regions. Each candidate may be employed by any kind of dining establishment and must have been a working chef for at least the past 5 years. The 3 most recent years must have been spent in the region where the chef is presently working."

The winners will be announced at a ceremony in New York on May 3.

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