Antimo DiMeo of Wilmington’s Bardea Food & Drink and Bill Hoffman, who owns Hockessin’s The House of William & Merry, have been chosen by the James Beard Foundation as semifinalists for the Best Chef award in the Mid-Atlantic region.
Anthony Andiario of Andiario in nearby West Chester, Pennsylvania, also was named as a semifinalist in the same category.
This is the first James Beard nomination for Hoffman, who has owned The House of William & Merry restaurant on Old Lancaster Pike with his wife Merry Catanuto for more than 10 years.
The pair, who operate the restaurant out of a historic farmhouse, is well-known for putting interesting twists on their menu items.
Hoffman said he has been “running around the kitchen” ever since he got the news.
“The crew from Heirloom down in Lewes called us and said, ‘hey, you’re on the [Beard] list,'” Hoffman said. “Then, my phone started blowing up and, I thought, ‘holy smokes, I think this is real.'”
