food and beverage industry

Filipino-owned US restaurant The Quarry wins James Beard 2023 Award

Rappler.com

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Filipino-owned US restaurant The Quarry wins James Beard 2023 Award
The rural fine dining restaurant in Maine owned by Marilou 'Lulu' Ranta wins the Outstanding Hospitality award

MANILA, Philippines – Filipino-owned restaurant The Quarry has won the James Beard Award for Outstanding Hospitality. On Tuesday, June 6, The Quarry shared their prestigious win and expressed thanks for the support from their patrons.

“Absolutely speechless. There aren’t enough words to thank everyone for all of their kind words, and support. We couldn’t have done it without you. Thank you to everyone who cheered for us. Thank you to my amazing crew in the kitchen and out. Monson, we’re coming home!” wrote owner and Filipino head chef Marilou “Lulu” Ranta.

The Quarry is a rural fine dining restaurant in Monson, Maine that serves American cuisine with a Filipino twist. Its signature dish is the grilled filet of beef and potatoes mousseline.

According to Maine Magazine, Ranta had first worked as a domestic helper in Manila before moving to Fayetteville, North Carolina in 1987. She later on moved with her family to Monson, Maine, where she ran an Asian takeout business. She also attended a two-year culinary program at Eastern Maine Community College, graduating in 2016, before establishing The Quarry in 2018, according to a Facebook post by the college.

The ceremony for the Restaurant and Chef Awards was held on Tuesday. In her acceptance speech, Ranta was emotional, saying that she had never dreamed of standing on the James Beard Awards stage. “Now everybody knows my town of 670 residents, now we have 671—I’m taking Mr. Beard with me!” she quipped.

Celebrity chef Erwan Heusaff also attended the James Beard Awards in 2023 to accept the Broadcast Media Award for his Instagram account. Filipino-American chef Timothy Flores and Genie Kwon won the Best Chef award for their work at their Chicago restaurant, Kasama, which had also won its first Michelin star in 2022. After an eight-year streak of nominations, République’s Margarita Manzke also won Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker.

The James Beard Awards, also referred to as the Oscars of the culinary world, is run by the James Beard Foundation. Named after food writer and host of the first ever food television program, James Beard, the foundation seeks to recognize the people behind America’s food culture. – Rappler.com

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