Cordelia's Vinnie Cimino recognized as a semi-finalist for James Beard Awards

CLEVELAND — Inside Cordelia, there’s an inviting atmosphere that draws customers near and far to come check out the unique restaurant and one chef who has been nominated for a prestigious award.

“I was in shock. I mean I’m still kind of in shock,” said Chef Vinnie Cimino of Cordelia. “I never in my wildest dreams would expect to be where we are.”

But Cimino said he’s soaking it all in after receiving the life-changing phone call this past Wednesday, letting him know he had been nominated as a James Beard Award semi-finalist for his exceptional talent and achievement in the culinary world.

“It’s always something that you dream about in the culinary industry is being nominated for this prestigious award. It’s never something that you expect that’s going to happen,” said Cimino.

Before Cimino became the chef-partner of Cordelia, located on East 4th Street in Downtown Cleveland, he said his passion for cooking began with his Italian family.

He then worked in different restaurants while in college, which eventually helped him get his foot in the door.

Now, 17 years later, the Akron native said he’s built a name for himself without even having to go to culinary school.

“I got to work with some amazing, amazing chefs over my time, and most of them I consider very close friends and colleagues. I attribute a lot of my success to those people,” said Cimino.

The acknowledgment is even more special for Cimino, considering he and his business partner just opened Cordelia about 16 months ago, where they specialize in re-imagining familiar flavors within what they call a ‘modern grandma’ culture.

“To see what we’ve been able to accomplish in just a short period of time, I’ll tell everybody all day long, it’s my name out there but it’s a huge team effort,” said Cimino.

Cimino is one of 20 semi-finalists and the only Northeast Ohio restaurant or chef to receive this honor in the Great Lakes region.

While this is a surprise for him, his General Manager, Amanda Miyoshi, said he’s more than deserving.

“To all of us that work with him every single day, it’s not a shock at all. We were just waiting for the right time for it,” said Cordelia General Manager, Amanda Miyoshi.

“Truly I’m just honored and floored to be mentioned amongst so many chefs I’ve looked up to for so many years,” said Cimino.

In April, Chef Cimino said he will know if he’s made it as a finalist for the Great Lakes Region.