A D.C. chef is among the finalists for an award known as an Oscar for food.
The James Beard Foundation named nominees for its coveted food, beverage and restaurant prizes. Among the five contenders for top chef is Jose Andres, of Minibar. He's joined by Tom Colicchio, of Craft in New York City; Gary Danko, of Restaurant Gary Danko in San Francisco; Suzanne Goin, of Lucques in Los Angeles; and Charles Phan, of The Slanted Door in San Francisco.
Other local nominees are Johnny Monis of Komi for Rising Star Chef of the Year and Amanda Cook of CityZen for Outstanding Pastry Chef.
The area also has three nominees for Best Chef Mid-Atlantic: Cathal Armstrong of Restaurant Eve, Peter Pastan of Obelisk and last season's "Top Chef" runner-up Bryan Voltaggio of Volt.
The winners will be announced May 3 in New York City.
