Andiario is a special restaurant, and its guests don’t come in for a normal meal. Open Wednesday to Saturday for $80 prix-fixe dinners, the West Chester destination features a menu that changes week to week based on the season. The model has been a successful one, and reservations sell out almost immediately upon release. Now, the eatery has one more feather to add to its cap, as its star chef, Anthony Andiario, was named a semifinalist for the James Beard Foundation’s 2025 Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic Award.
The only restaurant in Philadelphia’s western suburbs to receive a semifinalist nomination in the 2025 award cycle, Andiario must wait until April 2 to find out whether or not its chef has made it to the nominees round. Winners will be announced at the Lyric Opera of Chicago on Monday, June 16.
For the Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic category, Andiario is up against Matt Adler of Cucina Morini, Henji Cheung of Queen’s English, Matt Conroy and Isabel Coss of Pascual, Carlos Delgado of Causa and Amazonia, Ruben Garcia of Casa Teresa, Fernando Gonzalez of 2Fifty Barbeque and Cagla Onal Urel of Green Almond Pantry, all in Washington D.C.; Juan Carlos Aparicio of El Chingon, Yun Fuentes of Bolo, Jesse Ito of Royal Sushi & Izakaya and Amanda Shulman of Her Place Supper Club, all in Philadelphia; and Michael Correll of Ruse in St. Michaels, Antimo DiMeo of Bardea Food & Drink in Wilmington, Kate Lasky and Tomasz Skowronski of Apteka in Pittsburgh, Jasmine Norton of The Urban Oyster in Baltimore, Dan Richer of Razza in Jersey City and Jarad Slipp of Tremolo in Middleburg.
This is the second time Andiario has been a finalist for the Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic Award, and he’s aware of just how prestigious of an honor that is.
“[When] I was initially nominated for Best Chef, that was a surprise,” Andiario shares. “This was even a bigger surprise because I think it’s just kind of off the radar, right? West Chester has definitely accepted us and welcomed us, and we feel super blessed and lucky to have such great customers.”
There aren’t many small towns around the Mid-Atlantic, and even the county, that can support high-end dining like Andiario offers. You’ll find mom-and-pop shops and middle-tier restaurants around every corner, but it’s rarer to see the sort of passion that goes into food and menu crafting that occurs at Andiario in places outside big cities.
However, operating in less densely populated areas does have its benefits. Farms and suppliers are much closer, and it’s easier to get the freshest ingredients.
“We work with some things that are only in season for two weeks or sometimes even shorter. So it’s knowing that even in the spring we’ll see mushrooms coming in,” Andiario notes. “You don’t know what you’re going to get or what quantity you’re going to get. I’ll get text messages from out in the fields saying, ‘We should have 15 lbs of golden chanterelles looking really good. I can probably have them to you by Tuesday.'”
It’s instances and exchanges like that one that keep the menu and concept fresh at Andiario and ensure customers are excited to come back. You’ll rarely get the same meal twice, but you can guarantee the experience will always be excellent, and it’s for that Andiario has been recognized, not only as one of the best chefs in our region but across the country.
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