WILMINGTON – Delaware chef Antimo DiMeo of Wilmington’s Bardea Food & Drink was the First State’s only name on the James Beard Foundation semifinalists for Best Chef in the Mid-Atlantic Region announced on Wednesday.
This marks the third semifinalist nomination for Bardea and the second overall for 32-year-old DiMeo who has led the Italian restaurant on Wilmington’s Market Street since 2019. As executive chef of Bardea, DiMeo has been the mind behind the rising restaurant group’s menu which includes high-end options such as dry-aged New York Strip steak, fresh pasta dishes and king salmon plated with passionfruit and fresh wasabi.
DiMeo was in shock to see his name on the list of talented chefs, but quickly said the credit was not just his alone.
“I am incredibly honored to receive this nomination,” he said. “I am so grateful. I’m so proud of my team. This is a result of our hard work and dedication.”
The semifinalist nominations, announced Wednesday by the The James Beard Foundation, are one of the highest honors for American chefs. Several Delaware chefs and establishments have been featured on the list in the last decade, including Matt Kern of One Coastal who was the only Delawarean to make it to the final round in 2024.
Other honorees over the years include The House of William & Merry chef Bill Hoffman in 2022; DiMeo made the list that year, as well. Bardea was named best new Mid-Atlantic restaurant in 2019. Heirloom, where Kern previously worked as chef, was also nominated in 2019 and 2020.
Sam Calagione, founder of Dogfish Head Brewery, won Delaware’s last James Beard Award in 2017 for outstanding wine, beer or spirits professional, while the late Matt Haley of SoDel Concepts won the organization’s humanitarian award.
While this is familiar ground for DiMeo, it does not mean the news gets less sweeter, especially after a stunning year for the Bardea group as it embarked on plans to take over the former Stitch House Brewery on Market Street as Roost Pub & Kitchen. The Buccini Pollin Group has also transferred management of the DE.CO Food Hall on the bottom floor of the DuPont Building, expanding Bardea’s initial plans from opening a new italian restaurant there to now managing six food stalls.
Last summer, DiMeo had achieved a personal high note of preparing and plating a three-course meal for then-President Joe Biden, other world leaders and 150 members of their entourage at Archmere Academy in Claymont.
Scott Stein, DiMeo’s partner at Bardea and who reportedly set a goal of “Beard or Bust” when they began their partnership, said that the announcement on the Beard semifinalists was met with tears of joy and excitement in the dining room.
“This means the world to us. We couldn’t be prouder of Antimo and the entire kitchen team,” Stein said. “All the hard work has truly paid off, proving that staying focused and perseverance leads to great things”