Portland's Dana Street wins James Beard Award for Outstanding Restauranteur
On Monday night, the live stream for the James Beard Award had just crested over the three-hour mark when the nominees for Outstanding Restaurateur were announced. The audience at Lyric Opera of Chicago sat anxiously as the candidates were presented on screen. Tucked into the bottom right-hand corner was "Dana Street," one of the most storied restaurateurs in the state of Maine.
Street and his company were seated in the back of the room next to the "exit" sign, a likely indicator that they wanted a good spot to make a hasty escape and avoid traffic after the conclusion of the ceremony. But the crowd erupted in applause when his name was announced from the envelope. Street made the long walk down to the stage, going back and forth between flashing a humble smile and bowing his head to look down at his shoes.
Upon accepting the award, Street treated the crowd to a self-deprecating intro that was uniquely New England.
"You know, I've never really expected this," he said. "I think we've been shocked in the beginning since we first got nominated."
Street paused briefly, cleared his throat, and shook his head in disbelief.
"There's no blood in my brain right now, so I can't..." he trailed off as the audience laughed.
Street is the founder of several restaurants with long histories in Portland: Street and Co. (opened in 1989), Standard Baking Co. (1995), Fore Street (1996), and Scales (2016). All of Street's businesses occupy space in the Old Port district, representing some of the longest-running restaurants in an area where it is increasingly difficult to avoid turnover.
However, Street made a point in his speech of recognizing the importance of the award's title, pointing out its intention to unify restaurateurs rather than create unnecessary competition.
"The title of this award is interesting," Street said. "I think the word 'outstanding' is a good word because it talks about the excellence we aspire to deliver in our organizations."
He said that the word "best," a superlative commonly found in award ceremonies, can be misleading.
"I don't think we beat anybody," he continued. "I think we're very proud to have joined all the people in this audience who do excellent work. We're proud to be among you."
This isn't the first time the James Beard Foundation has honored Street. In 2004, Sam Hayward took home Maine’s first James Beard Best Chef: Northeast Award, for his work as the founding chef of Fore Street. Street's staff and dining rooms have also been featured in high-profile food and travel shows, including Food Nation with Bobby Flay in 2004, and Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations in 2010.
Street continued his speech by introducing the people who joined him on stage: Adam Beckworth, the general manager of Scales; Matt Stewart, general manager of Fore Street ("he's had pretty much every job you can have, including head chef"); Christina Maria DiBiase of Street & Co. ("[she] started out as a dishwasher and worked her way up to general manager"); and Lauren Harrington, manager of Street's restaurant group ("she really runs the operation").
He also took time to spotlight the employees of his restaurants back in Maine.
"Without the 340 people that work for us very hard every day, we wouldn't be here," he said.
Like some of the night's other winners, he took the opportunity to comment on the state of the industry in today's political climate. Street expressed his disgust at the current administration's immigration policies, which he feels have done irreparable damage to an industry that has historically provided employment to those seeking opportunity in the United States.
“These people are the best of our people,” he said. “They left, traveled here under duress to make a better life for themselves and for their people they left behind.”
Maine was also represented in the Best Chef: Northeast award category this year. Thomas Takashi Cooke of Izakaya Minato in Portland was one of the finalists. Cooke, with his partner Elaine Alden, operates the restaurant, fusing flavors of Japan's Izakaya neighborhood with the local food systems of Maine. However, the award went to another northern New Englander, Evan Hennessey of Stages in Dover, N.H.
Maine — and specifically Portland — has had a long history with the James Beard Foundation, starting back in 1994 when Nancy Harmon Jenkins won the "Who's Who of Food & Beverage in America" award. Since then, Maine has either won or been a finalist for one of the industry awards, totaling up to over 200 entries.
While national exposure has helped further Maine's food-centric reputation, it's important to recognize the passionate local workforce that keeps the restaurant ecosystem alive. Street reflected this in his final acknowledgment when honoring Victor Leon, his business partner and "oldest friend," who passed away in 2020.
"He would've been very happy — much happier than me — to receive this," Street said.