NEW YORK, NY - The James Beard Foundation recently announced its list of Restaurant and Chef Award semifinalists for the 28th annual James Beard Foundation Awards. Selected from a list of more than 20,000 online entries, the prestigious group of semifinalists in 21 categories represents a wide range of culinary talent, from exceptional chefs and dining destinations nationally and in ten different regions across the U.S., to the best new restaurants, outstanding bar programs, bakers, and rising star chefs 30 or younger. See this year’s full semifinalist list at the end of this press release or online at jamesbeard.org/awards.
Chef Vishwesh Bhatt of Snackbar in Oxford has, for another year in a row, been named a semifinalist in the category of “Best Chef: South.” Jackson native Timothy Hontzas of Johnny’s Restaurant in Homewood, Alabama, was also named a semifinalist in the same category.
The final nominees for all categories will be announced on March 14th in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, at 10:30 a.m. CST, and they will move on to the final round.