NEW YORK, N.Y. - The James Beard Foundation (JBF) recently announce the 2020 Restaurant and Chef Award semifinalists. The final Restaurant and Chef Award nominees, as well as the nominees for Media and Restaurant Design Awards, will be announced in Philadelphia on Wednesday, March 25. The nominee announcement will begin at 9:00 a.m. ET and will be streamed live. Nominees will also be announced in real time via JBF's Twitter feed.
Mississippi native Ann Cashion, of Johnny's Half Shell, Washington, D.C., has been named a semifinalist in the Outstanding Chef category.
Austin Evans and Richard Patrick Jr., of Cathead Distillery, Jackson, have been named semifinalists in the Outstanding Wine, Spirits, or Beer Producer category.
Mississippi chefs named as semifinalists in the Best Chef: South category include Derek Emerson, of CAET, Ridgeland; and Austin Sumrall, White Pillars, Biloxi.
The 2020 James Beard Awards, presented by Capital One, will mark the 30th anniversary of America’s most coveted and comprehensive honors for chefs, restaurants, journalists, authors, and other leaders in the food and beverage industry. The annual gala will take place on Monday, May 4, at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. The 2020 Leadership Awards will be held on Sunday, May 3, in Chicago, and the 2020 Media Awards will take place on Friday, April 24, at Pier Sixty at Chelsea Piers in New York City. Tickets to both the Awards Gala and the Media Awards will be on sale beginning March 25 at jamesbeard.org/awards.