SULLIVAN COUNTY  – Some call it the Oscars of the food industry.

The James Beard Award semifinalists were announced on Wednesday and topping the list in New York State in the Outstanding Restaurateur category are Sims and Kirsten Harlow Foster, owners of Foster Supply Hospitality.

The semifinalist announcement is essentially the longer list of nominees that kicks off a busy season of awards. Next up is a pared-down list of finalists on March 29. 

Winners in each category will be announced at a ceremony in Chicago on June 5.

“It is with humble and proud hearts that we announce that we have been nominated in the 2023 James Beard Foundation’s Restaurant and Chef Awards as a Semi-Finalist for Outstanding Restaurateur,” the Fosters said in a post on their website. “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.”

The award lists several of Foster Supply Hospitality properties for the award, namely the DeBruce, Arnold House Tavern and Kenoza Hall.

Other Sullivan County properties under the Foster Supply Hospitality banner include North Branch Inn, Hotel Darby, Piccolo Paese and 9 River Road.

Sims Foster added, “Personally, I have been lucky to work with so many talented Chefs and Restaurateurs over my career who themselves have been James Beard Foundation Award nominees and winners. I learned so much from them. Bringing that experience home to the place where it all started for me as a dishwasher, where I fell in love with the dance of the restaurant world and where we now raise our family makes it feel so right.

“We are so excited for and proud of Foster Supply Hospitality for this achievement,” remarked Roberta Byron-Lockwood, President/CEO of the Sullivan Catskills Visitors Association. “Sims and Kirsten bring an exciting new energy to the Catskills with their portfolio of hotels and restaurants, and this honor is most deserved.”