ST. ALBANS CITY — Café Monette is a semifinalist for a James Beard Award.
The French-inspired St. Albans eatery is one of 30 restaurants across the country to be recognized in the Best New Restaurant category.
The list of semifinalists was announced yesterday afternoon, and Café Monette staff say the news is still sinking in.
“Yesterday was super auspicious, trying to come to grasp this ideal still,” chef-owner Adam Monette told the Messenger. “So many individuals have reached out and kindly offered their support. You can instantly tell what this nomination means to people in the industry.”
Café Monette opened last August at 97 N. Main Street following much community anticipation. For more than a decade, Monette was the culinary instructor at Northwest Career and Technical Center in St. Albans, where he helped generations of Franklin County students discover a passion for cooking.
Two of those students — Henry Long and Tyler Comeau — are now his fellow chefs at Café Monette.
Monette also won Food Network’s Holiday Baking Championship in 2021, bringing a little bit of TV-stardom to northwest Vermont.
At the restaurant today, every dish is made from scratch using seasonal, local ingredients. Highlights of the winter menu recently have included crêpes suzette, tourtière and Paris-brest.
The James Beard Awards are the top culinary recognition in the U.S. Since their inception in 1990, the awards have made stars out of the nation’s top restaurant and bar professionals.
Restaurant and chef nominees will be announced March 31, and winners will be celebrated at the James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards Ceremony June 15 in Chicago.
“Tonight we have service, and our focus is on that, but we are over the moon to be part of the amazing pantheon of Best New Restaurant,” Monette said.
Café Monette is open for dinner starting at 4 p.m. Wednesday to Saturday.
Dining and Cooking