The bar inside the Cleveland restaurant Cordelia.
Cordelia opened on Cleveland's East Fourth Street in 2022. (Photo by Dylan Palchesko)

Another kid from Akron is in the news today. Vinnie Cimino, chef of Cleveland restaurant Cordelia, was named a James Beard semifinalist. 

The annual competition from the James Beard Foundation honors the best in food and dining across the country. Yesterday the organization announced the 2024 Restaurant and Chef Awards semifinalists. Cimino, who grew up in the Ellet neighborhood and currently lives in Highland Square, is up for Best Chef: Great Lakes (IL, IN, MI, OH). He is one of 20 chefs nominated, and one of six from Ohio. He is the only chef from Northeast Ohio on the list.

“Really I’m just so incredibly stoked for our staff,” Cimino, 40, said when Signal Akron contacted him through social media. “This is such a team effort, and [I’m] grateful to lead such an incredible group. Truly honored to represent Cleveland and be a semi-finalist amongst so many great chefs, and it’s incredible to see so much representation from Ohio!”

A portrait of Vinnie Cimino. He's wearing a black T-shirt, a baseball cap and glasses. An orange bandana is around his neck. He is sitting in front of a floral wallpapered wall.
Vinnie Cimino, chef of the Cleveland restaurant Cordelia (Photo by Dylan Palchesko)

Cordelia opened in 2022 on Cleveland’s East Fourth Street, the brainchild of Cimino and owner Andrew Watts, who are partners in the business. (The restaurant is named after Watts’ great-grandma.) It took the place of Michael Symon’s beloved Lola, which closed in 2020 after 24 years.

Cimino and Watts met at another East Fourth Street outpost, the now shuttered Greenhouse Tavern. Cimino served as the chef de cuisine there and Watts was the general manager.

Cordelia has received praise from Cleveland Magazine, which named it the best new restaurant of 2023, as well as from Travel + Leisure and Eater for its upscale take on Midwest comfort food served family style.

The James Beard Foundation will announce the Restaurant and Chef Awards nominees Wednesday, April 3. The Winners will be announced Monday, June 10, at the James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards Ceremony in Chicago.

Culture & Arts Reporter (she/her)
Brittany is an accomplished journalist who’s passionate about the arts, civic engagement and great storytelling. She has more than a decade of experience covering culture and arts, both in Ohio and nationally. She previously served as the associate editor of Columbus Monthly, where she wrote community-focused stories about Central Ohio’s movers and shakers. A lifelong Ohioan, she grew up in Springfield and graduated from Kent State University.