Two Vermont eating and drinking establishments are among the finalists this year for the prestigious annual James Beard Awards, which aim to highlight talent in the culinary industry.
Cara Tobin of the Burlington restaurant Honey Road has been nominated as best chef in the Northeast. Montpelier’s Barr Hill cocktail bar made Vermont history as the state’s first-ever finalist in the nationwide outstanding bar category.
Tobin offers an eastern Mediterranean-style menu full of small plates called “mezze.” These are served with typical dips from the region, such as tahini hummus, baba ganoush or muhammara.
“They’re meant to be shared,” she said. “You try little bites of everything.”
Growing up in an Italian family in California, Tobin says she always enjoyed light meals full of proteins and vegetables. It was not until she moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts, that she found her passion for Mediterranean cuisine.
“That’s when I started traveling to Turkey, Morocco, Lebanon, learning about the flavors and the culture,” she said.
Moving to Burlington provided the opportunity to fulfill her lifelong dream of owning a restaurant. Honey Road first opened its doors to customers in 2017.
“Pomegranate molasses, rosewater, spices, sumac — that’s our stuff,” she said, emphasizing that they complement these ingredients with produce, lamb and dairy sourced from local farms.
Tobin has been a semifinalist in the best chef Northeast category in 2018, 2019, and 2020. But this is her first time as a James Beard Awards finalist.
“It’s like the Academy Awards for food,” she said. “I’ve known about them for as long as I can remember. It’s always been something I hoped for.”
Caledonia Spirits, based in Montpelier since 2019, runs the decorated Barr Hill distillery which has won numerous awards and distributes its products throughout the country. But this time, it is the cocktail bar, located at the distillery, that has been nominated for outstanding bar.
The flagship gin and vodka, distilled from juniper and raw honey, serve as the signature ingredient in all the drinks on its menu.
A representative for Barr Hill could not be reached for comment.
The last James Beard Award winner in Vermont was in 2022, when Nisachon “Rung” Morgan, owner of the Thai restaurant Saap in Randolph, was named best chef in the Northeast.
