On Monday, May 6th, the James Beard Foundation announced their 2019 Restaurant and Chef Awards — Best New Restaurant, Best Chefs, Outstanding Baker, among others — and local culinary talent got some love. Chef Tony Messina of Uni snagged the title of Best Chef: Northeast, which covers Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, New York State, Rhode Island and Vermont. The cookers up against Messina included Cassie Piuma of Sarma along with Tiffani Faison of Sweet Cheeks Q, Tiger Mama and Fool’s Errand. See the complete list of winners here.