Chef at downtown Bellingham restaurant is a James Beard Award semifinalist
The 2026 James Beard Awards semifinalists have been announced, and a chef from one of downtown Bellingham’s newest hot spots is among them.
Jordan Koplowitz, co-owner and chef at Starla’s in Bellingham, is a semifinalist in the category of Best Chef: Northwest & Pacific, recognizing chefs in Washington, Oregon, Alaska and Hawaii.
The James Beard Awards “represent the pinnacle of culinary recognition in the US,” according to the organization’s website, and recognize chefs, restaurateurs, restaurants, bakeries and bars across the country.
Seventeen Washington restaurants are among the semifinalists in a variety of categories, but Starla’s was the only Bellingham restaurant named.
Starla’s, a natural wine bar and pizza restaurant, was launched by co-owners Koplowitz and Christy Wyble in 2024. The duo also is known for a previous venture, Blotto pizzaria in Seattle, which closed in 2023. The team closed their Seattle eatery and moved to Bellingham, and quickly saw the need for a space like Starla’s.
“We wanted to go deeper into the wine side of it and felt like Bellingham needed a place that was just natural wine-focused,” Wyble told The Herald in 2024.
“The reason we went for a natural wine spot is because that is our favorite thing to drink. We are obsessed with it. It’s just what we love, and it’s what we know the most about, so this was definitely within our expertise, and we also felt like it was something that we could focus on, that not really many other people are focusing on Bellingham,” Koplowitz told The Herald in 2024.
Since opening in 2024, the natural wine bar expanded its offerings in January 2025 to serve a full menu of homemade pizzas and starters.
Starla’s is open from 4 to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday and 4 to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday at 1149 N State St. in downtown Bellingham.
Award finalists will be announced Tuesday, March 31, and the James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards Ceremony to announce the winners will be held June 15 in Chicago.
The Herald reached out to Koplowitz for this article but have not yet received a response.
This story was originally published January 22, 2026 at 11:03 AM.
