Cambridge Baker 2018 James Beard Award Finalist

CAMBRIDGE, MA – The James Beard Foundation this week released its list of finalists for national and regional chef and restaurant awards. Cambridge's own Maura Kilpatrick of Sofra Bakery & Café is one of five finalists for the "Outstanding Baker" award.

Together with executive chef Ana Sortun, Kilpatrick opened Sofra in 2008. It is named after the Turkish word for "a picnic, a special table preparation of food or a small square kilim rug for eating," according to the bakery's website.

This year's winners will be announced May 1 in Chicago, the James Beard Foundation said.

Founded in 1986, the James Beard Foundation celebrates, nurtures, and honors chefs and other leaders making America's food culture more delicious, diverse, and sustainable for everyone. A cookbook author and teacher with an encyclopedic knowledge about food, the late James Beard was a champion of American cuisine.

He helped educate and mentor generations of professional chefs and food enthusiasts, instilling in them the value of wholesome, healthful, and delicious food. Today JBF continues in the same spirit by administering a number of diverse programs that include educational initiatives, food industry awards, scholarships for culinary students, publications, chef advocacy training, and thought-leader conventions.

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