Two locals made the semifinalist list for the James Beard Awards, which was released Wednesday. The awards are widely considered the most prestigious culinary honor in the U.S.

Darmyelesh Alemu of Ethiopian restaurant Beteseb in Silver Spring and Matthew Adler of Italian restaurant Cucina Morini in D.C. (who’s also chef and partner at Caruso’s Grocery in North Bethesda) are among the 20 chefs shortlisted for the Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic award.

“Seeing my customers enjoy the food and making them happy brings feelings of joy to me,” Alemu told The Banner.

Matthew Adler, also chef and partner at Caruso’s Grocery in North Bethesda, is a semifinalist for Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic.
Matthew Adler, who's also a chef and partner at Caruso’s Grocery in North Bethesda, is a semifinalist for Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic. (John Rorapaugh/LeadingDC)

Adler added: “It’s always nice when accolades like this come in, but it’s certainly not why we do it. And I really credit our teams, who do all the heavy lifting each and every day.”

The list also includes four Baltimore semifinalists.