James Beard's Outstanding Restaurant Award Names Havana as a Semi-Finalist
Award singles out best restaurants in the U.S.A.
BAR HARBOR—For Michael Boland, the news arrived via text after text from friend after friend. One of his restaurants, they said, congratulating him, was up for one of the country’s biggest honors in the restaurant world: The James Beard Award for Outstanding Restaurant. Finalists will be declared publicly on April 2. According to the Beard foundation’s site, “Winners will be announced at the James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards ceremony on Monday, June 16 at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.”
Havana, situated at 318 Main Street, in Bar Harbor is one of 20 semifinalists, the only one in Maine, and one of only two New England restaurants. The other is Oberlin in Providence, RI.
"A horribly overused cliche, but in these kinds of awards, it's the truest thing possible—it takes a team!” Boland said Wednesday. “Over the last 25+ years we've been very fortunate to have some amazing folks pulling the rope with us at Havana.”
He said it was the same as when he personally won the Best Restaurateur in Maine award.
“It was really a team award or should have been. From people like Mark ‘Duffy’ Dyer who was with us for over 23 years, to newer folks like Billy Kraemer, our wine director; Justin Bagley, our bar manager; Arielle Liakat, our Parrilla manager; and of course the incredibly talented and hard working kitchen folks including Chef Daniel Antigua not to mention my partner in other ventures and executive chef for all locations, Cassady Pappas; and director of operations and the real brains behind the scene, Keegan Burdette. This is why we have been selected as a semi-finalist for best restaurant in the USA."
For 25 years, Havana has been gathering accolades and even presidential visits as it serves American cuisine with a Latin twist. Havana is the only Hancock County restaurant from Maine, where a majority of the nominees for multiple categories are centered in Portland, Biddeford, and Berwick.
It’s been listed as one of Maine’s 18 essential restaurants. Martha Stewart has featured it in her blog. This summer, the restaurant was featured in Food & Wine.
Boland, his wife Deirdre Swords, and staff have created something upscale but approachable, colorful but tasteful, a blend of classics and Latin American tastes: Brazilian stew, paella, mojitos, gambas, skewers of beef and provoleta (a smoked provolone topped with pickled onions and chimichurri), ribeye, pescado, pato, and lobster moqueca.
Havana knows fine dining, but there’s something else in the restaurant and its parrilla that makes it special to locals as well. It was a place-to-go this New Year’s Eve. It is a spot where locals have a first date, an anniversary dinner, bring a friend visiting when they want to show them somewhere special.
"A shout-out too for our guests,” Boland said. “We've had so many folks from away and from right here that have been supporters since day one, including some folks who actually plan or partially plan their visit to MDI around a night (or two) at Havana. That's been incredibly flattering and motivating.”
It’s a place where awards and accolades are given, but it’s also where stories are made, events are hosted, where music seranades and lights twinkle welcoming all. Restaurants are about more than awards, Boland knows. They are also about community and memories.
“Recently, we had a family come in to celebrate a special anniversary for the parents and for their now married daughter,” Boland said. “They had started coming in year one with their then very young daughter. She's now married with a child of her own and it was quite a moving dinner celebration. That's the kind of thing that keeps us enjoying very much what we do."
Boland was originally from Philadelphia and has lived in Bar Harbor for more than 35 years. He and Swords, who owns Artemis Gallery in Northeast Harbor, have owned and operated multiple businesses for the last 30 years, including Rupununi, the Criterion Theatre (from 2000-2008), and others.
He co-owns Copita, Choco-Latte Cafe, and Brasserie Le Brun with one partner, the Islesford Dock with another, and the Chart Room with his Choco-Latte/Copita/Le Brun partner and one additional partner.
Other semifinalists from Maine include:
Best Chef Northeast: Lee Frank of Lee Frank’s in South Berwick, Jordan Rubin of Mr. Tuna in Portland and Jake Stevens of Leeward in Portland;
Emerging Chef: Jason Eckerson and Kate Hamm of Fish & Whistle, Biddeford;
Outstanding Professional in Beverage Service: Mary Allen Lindemann of Coffee By Design in Portland;
Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker: Brant Dadaleares, Gross Confection Bar, Portland
Outstanding Hospitality: Taj Indian Cuisine in South Portland;
Best New Bar: The Abbey in Brunswick;
Outstanding Professional in Cocktail Service: Nathaniel Meiklejohn of The Jewel Box in Portland.
LINKS TO LEARN MORE
We’re updated one of the names in a quote as of 11:42, January 24.
https://www.jamesbeard.org/blog/the-2025-james-beard-award-semifinalists
Havana’s Facebook page
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