Exeter’s Vino e Vivo chef a James Beard Award Northeast semifinalist
EXETER — Chef Paul Callahan, of Vino e Vivo, is one of 20 semifinalists for Best Chef in the Northeast of the 2023 James Beard Foundation Awards.
The James Beard Foundation released its annual list of semifinalists for its prestigious restaurant and chef awards on Jan. 25. Callahan was one of only two semifinalists in the New Hampshire category. The second is Jeff Fournier of the Thompson House Eatery in Jackson.
Dozens of restaurants from all over New England were recognized as semifinalists this year. Chef David Vargas, of Vida Cantina in Portsmouth, is a semi-finalist for the national Outstanding Chef Award.
The semi-finalists will then be narrowed down to a short list of award nominees to be announced on March 29. The final winners will be announced at an awards ceremony on June 5.
Callahan, a Brentwood resident, has been the executive chef of Vino e Vivo, an intimate 24-seat wine bar, since July 2021. He previously worked at Ceia and Brine in Newburyport, Massachusetts. He is known for his creative approach to cooking with menu items such as duck fat fritters with quince, Humboldt mist cheese and Tasso ham to entrees such as coffee-rubbed duck breast with escargot bread pudding, gingerbread and mole.
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The community is proud of the restaurant.
“Exeter is a great city and the community has been very receptive to what we’ve done with our menu and our creative approach to cooking,” said Callahan. “I have a great staff and a great team and I couldn’t do this without them.”
Vino e Vivo a staple in Exeter since 2018
Vino e Vivo was founded in 2018 by Tony Callendrello, a longtime resident of Exeter, based on two leading influences. First, Callendrello was inspired to create a “Third Place” as defined in Ray Oldenburg’s 1998 book “The Great Good Place”, namely “a place where people can come together, put aside the cares of home and work and just hang out for the joys of good company and lively conversation.” Second, there was the restaurant/wine bar culture of Europe, where cafes and bars are the cornerstone of the community and serve as local meeting places.
The environment is intentionally set up to encourage conversation and interaction. The restaurant is small and cozy, there are no televisions, there are sound-absorbing panels, the music is at a low volume, and the servers are friendly and knowledgeable.
Callahan embraces that sense of community at the restaurant, according to Callendrello, often coming out to talk to guests.
“Paul is not only a creative chef, but he is also personable and pleasant to work with. Those characteristics come through whether it’s interacting with our guests or assembling his kitchen team,” Callendrello said.
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Callahan is known for mentoring the people on his team, such as his sous chef Jon Parsons, who started out as a dishwasher at a restaurant where he previously worked in Newburyport. He is also known for being approachable and the introduction of a two-person chef’s table at the edge of the kitchen is an example of this.
“With people coming to the chef’s table, we can break out and be a bit more creative in our offering. And the chef’s table is often the first time people dine at Vino e Vivo,” Callahan said. “So they’ve been eating foods that they wouldn’t normally have tried, which aren’t necessarily on our regular menu, which makes it easier for them the next time they come in. And for the people who have eaten here, they know what you can expect at the chef’s table, that it is a bit more out of the box and a place where we can be creative.”
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After attending art school, Callahan entered the restaurant world and jumped into the fine dining scene at spots such as Barbara Lynch’s The Butcher Shop, Frank McClelland’s L’Espalier, The Herb Lyceum (a 30-seater communal-style dining experience that features food from its own garden) , and No. 8 Kitchen & Spirits, which won North Shore Magazine’s “Best New Restaurant.”
The mission of the James Beard Awards is to recognize exceptional talent and achievement in the culinary arts, hospitality, media and the wider food system, as well as a proven commitment to racial and gender equality, community, sustainability and a culture in which everyone can thrive.