Charlie Menard, founder of and chef at Canteen Creemee in Waitsfield, had to pull over while driving last week when he heard that was a James Beard semifinalist for best chef, New England.
“It was 100% unexpected. I had no idea, and it didn’t seem possible,” said Menard, who created Canteen Creemee in May 2016 after a long career in the culinary arts, including a lengthy stint as head chef at the Round Barn in Waitsfield.
He said he was taken by surprise and never expected such an honor, having thought that his career as a chef was replete in terms of awards and aspirations.
“I thought that part of my life was long over as far as aspirations go. Last summer I got a mention in Food and Wine and I thought, ‘this is it.’ I’ve reached the pinnacle, this is my crowning achievement, and then this falls into my lap,” the chef said.
Canteen Creemee is known far and wide as far more than a creemee stand in the normal sense of the word. It features exotic creemee combinations, outstanding fried chicken and an ever-changing, eclectic selection of entrees that change seasonally and often reflect the nationalities of the J1 Visa students who work with Menard.
Menard said he would likely never find out the backstory of how he got nominated or who visited Canteen Creemee and nominated him. He said he knows of restaurateurs who have used public relations firms and social media to angle for a nomination to no avail.
“That’s the irony of this whole thing,” he said, adding that he was talking to a friend about being a semifinalist who said: “Hey, you’re doing good food and good food that anybody can have at any time. It doesn’t have to be a nice, sit-down fancy place to be good.”
What happens next with the nomination is the announcement of the finalists and if Menard and Canteen advance, a trip to Chicago in April for the awards ceremony.
“That would be the icing on the cake, but being a nominee is really good; I’m super happy about that,” he noted.
Menard grew up in Colchester and now lives in Roxbury.
