4 Tenn. eateries are James Beard finalists
Four Tennessee restaurants received finalist nominations for the 2020 James Beard Awards. The nominations were announced Monday on what would have been the 30th annual James Beard Awards in Chicago.
Chefs Andy Ticer and Michael Hudman of Andrew Michael Italian Kitchen in Memphis, Julia Sullivan of Henrietta Red in Nashville and Cassidee Dabney of The Barn at Blackberry Farm in Walland (outside of Knoxville) were all nominated for Best Chef in the Southeast. According to the James Beard website, this award is given to chefs
“who set high culinary standards and also demonstrate integrity and admirable leadership skills in their respective regions. A nominee may be from any kind of dining establishment but must have been working as a chef for at least five years, with the three most recent years spent in the region.” The Southeast region includes Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and West Virginia.
The other two nominees in this category are Katie Button of Curate in Asheville, North Carolina, and Cheetie Kumar of Garland in Raleigh, North Carolina. Will Aghajanian and Liz Johnson, formerly of The Catbird Seat in Nashville, were nominated for Rising Star Chef of the Year. This award is given to a chef age 30 or younger who displays exceptional talent, character and leadership ability, and who is likely to make a significant impact in years to come.
The James Beard Awards are given annually by the James Beard Foundation, honoring the best in the industry. It is considered the Oscars of the culinary world. Restaurant and chef award winners will be announced Sept. 25 from Chicago, broadcast live via the James Beard Foundation’s Twitter feed.