Oriental Mart, a family-owned Filipino kitchenette and grocery store in Seattle's Pike Place Market, is one of the recipients of the 2020 America's Classics Award from the James Beard Foundation.
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The award was introduced in 1998 and is given to "the nation’s beloved regional restaurants," according to the Foundation.
"Distinguished by their timeless appeal, they serve quality food that reflects the character of their communities," the Foundation wrote on its website. Only six restaurants are chosen each year to receive the title.
And Oriental Mart has certainly been a staple at Pike Place Market. Eater Seattle reported that it opened in 1971 by Mila Apostol as a grocery store after her and her family emigrated from the Philippines. The adjacent eatery was opened in 1987 by Apostol's daughter, Leila Rosas, and serves homestyle Filipino dishes such as adobo, longanisa and a tamarind soup, salmon sinigang, using fresh salmon from other vendors.
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The restaurant is still family owned and was recently featured on an episode of "No Passport Required."
"For those that don't know, the James Beard Award is like the Oscars in the food industry," said Steven Ducky, a Seattle-based food blogger who runs the popular Instagram account @seattlefoodieadventure, when announcing Oriental Mart's win on James Beard Foundation's Instagram.
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The James Beard Awards will be celebrating their 30th year and honoring the winners with a gala on May 4.