Best Chef: Northeast Winner Tony Messina Dishes On This Year’s James Beard Foundation Gala

After Boston, the James Beard Foundation’s Taste America will continue on to Atlanta; Charleston, SC; Chicago; Dallas; Denver; Houston; Kansas City, MO; Los Angeles; Louisville, KY; Miami; Minneapolis/St. Paul; Nashville; New Orleans; Philadelphia; Phoenix; Portland, OR; San Francisco; Seattle; and Washington, D.C.

We caught up recently with Boston’s own Tony Messina of UNI, who just last year was awarded Best Chef: Northeast to discuss how it felt receiving that accolade, his thoughts on the Boston restaurant scene and what he will be serving up at this year’s Taste America: Boston Gala Dinner.

Photo Credit: Andrea Merrill

This year’s Boston gala is going to be a blast. For me, the best part of events like this one is cooking alongside chefs that I respect and admire, and everyone participating this year is so talented. I’ll be making a butter poached lobster with pine nut “risotto,” pepperoni XO, and hakurei turnips.

I hope so. We get knocked on a lot when national award lists come out from major publications. I think a lot of that comes from the fact that Boston has always been very blue collar, and our food reflects that in a lot of instances. I don’t think this one award will move the needle in any significant way, but I do hope it helps to push Boston in that path, and help people to recognize the city on a national level.

Photo Credit: Melissa Ostrow