The husband-and-wife team behind some of Sullivan County’s top dining destinations makes the James Beard Award semifinalist list in 2023.
The Hudson Valley has been a top culinary destination for decades and, lately, it’s been getting the recognition it deserves. For example, last September, Bon Appétit Restaurant Editor Elazar Sontag called Café Mutton “one of America’s best new restaurants,” and the New York Times called it one of the top 50 restaurants in the nation. So, it was no surprise when the James Beard Foundation included Shaina Loew-Banayan—the mastermind behind Café Mutton—on its list of semifinalists for its 2023 Restaurant and Chef Awards. Loew-Banayan is listed alongside Anthony Gonçalves of Kanopi, Paolo Garcia Mendoza of Karenderya, Stissing House, and Café Mutton’s next-door neighbor, the kaleidoscopic Lil’ Deb’s Oasis, on the semifinalist report.
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Excepting those Hudson Valley-based restaurants and chefs, nearly all the semifinalists from New York are based in the Big Apple. However, in one category—Outstanding Restaurateur—our state’s lone representative is Foster Supply Hospitality, the team behind celebrated Sullivan County establishments like The DeBruce, The Arnold House Tavern, The Alley at North Branch Inn, Piccolo Paese Ristorante Italiano, Nine River Road, Hotel Darby, and Kenoza Hall.
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With the husband-and-wife team of Sims and Kirsten Harlow Foster at its helm, Foster Supply Hospitality has curated some of the most luxurious experiences in the Hudson Valley with a “soulful and thoughtful” approach to hospitality and dining. “Simplicity, space to breathe, and a moment or two of slowing down have become rare commodities,” they muse, adding, “And we happen to be really good at delivering it.”
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In addition to their business ventures, the Fosters run A Single Bite, a nonprofit aimed at supplying Sullivan County families in need with nutritious meals as well as “empowering students to care about the food they eat and where it comes from.” Thus far, the initiative has provided over 120,000 scratch-made meals to local families free of charge.
After receiving news of their accomplishment, the Fosters took to Instagram to share a few heartfelt words of gratitude. “It is meaningful in so many ways. At the very top of that list is the recognition it provides for the hard-working and talented teams that put everything on the line every day. And for the credibility it extends to our rural and emerging community as a true culinary destination,” they say, going on to recognize their supporters, guests, and staff members.
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Foster Supply Hospitality was listed as a semifinalist along with 19 other restaurateurs around the United States. A list of finalist nominees will be released on March 29, and winners will be announced at a ceremony in Chicago on June 5.
