The James Beard Foundation announced its finalists Tuesday for the 2026 awards — long considered the highest honor within the culinary industry.

But no Maryland eateries or restaurateurs made the cut.

Four Baltimore area businesses were nominated as semifinalists. It was the first time each of them had received nods from the James Beard Foundation. The Pink Flamingo bar and eatery in Remington was nominated for best new bar, while Owner Doug Atwell of the Southpaw bar in Fells Point was nominated for the outstanding professional in cocktail service category.

The culinary foundation also nominated Cafe Dear Leon in Canton as a semifinalist for outstanding bakery and Marta Fine Food and Spirits in Butcher’s Hill and chef Matthew Oetting for Best Chef in the Mid-Atlantic region.

Two other Maryland chefs fell short of the finals in the Best Chef in the Mid-Atlantic region category. Matthew Adler, who serves as chef and partner at Caruso’s Grocery in North Bethesda, was nominated for his work in Washington D.C at his Italian restaurant Cucina Morini. Then in Silver Spring, Chef Darmyelesh Alemu was nominated for their work at Beteseb, an Ethiopian restaurant.

In a conversation with The Banner, Marta’s Chef Matthew Oetting said he was shocked by the news in January, when he received the nomination. Pink Flamingo Owners Brendan Door and Eric Fooy called the honor “unexpected” and Owner Doug Atwell of Southpaw told the Banner he worried the foundation had made “a typo” in listing his name.

On Monday, Atwell took to social media to share his thoughts on the “surprising and gratifying praise.” He also acknowledged the challenge of keeping his bar open after building out their space during a pandemic and grappling with “supply chain nonsense,” over the last three years.

“I’ve already braced myself for this metaphorical fairy tale stagecoach to turn back into a pumpkin. That said I can’t help but feel anything other than immense gratitude to be included in a list with so many other professionals I deeply admire and respect,” he said on Instagram, before the finalists were named.

Several of Baltimore’s big names in hospitality have previously received semifinalist nominations, including Steve Chu, owner of Ekiben, and Jasmine Norton, who opened her Urban Oyster eatery in Hampden in 2024.

Only two Baltimore restaurants have won the awards in prior years. Woodberry Kitchen’s chef Spike Gjerde won the prize for best chef in the Mid-Atlantic region in 2015. Then last year, Charleston in Harbor East won for their wine program.

Since receiving the honor, Wolfe has noticed an uptick in traffic to the restaurant. Her team’s win came after several finalist nominations for various categories, including Best Chef in the Mid-Atlantic.

Gjerde’s Woodberry Kitchen has since rebranded to Woodberry Tavern, now with a bustling catering and events arm. The restaurateur also spent the last year opening two new restaurants. La Jetée opened in the former Cindy Lou’s Fish House space in Harbor Point, with an 80-seat dining room and French fare. Then last weekend he unveiled Bar Dali, a Mount Vernon tapas-style bar in the former Mount Vernon Stable and Saloon space, which had been a neighborhood fixture until it closed in 2022.

More Baltimore restaurateurs have been recognized by the James Beard Foundation in recent years. But that number still pales in comparison to the amount of eateries in neighboring cities, such as Washington D.C and Philadelphia, that were named to the competition’s final round during the last ten years.

This year in the Best Chef in the Mid-Atlantic region category, four Pennsylvania chefs advanced to the finals and three of them were based in Philadelphia. Another chef from Washington D.C, Suresh Sundas, received a finalist nomination for his South Asian street food restaurant Tapori in D.C.

The awards will be given out during an in-person ceremony in Chicago on June 15.

This story will be updated.

Reporter Hannah Yasharoff contributed to this article.