A near miss for Charlotte chef Greg Collier on James Beard Award
It’s been a big year for chef Greg Collier, who was named a finalist for the prestigious James Beard Awards’ Best Chef: Southeast honor this February. He didn’t win — fellow North Carolina chef Ricky Moore of SALTBOX Seafood Joint in Durham took the title — but Collier still has a lot to celebrate.
Among the Leah & Louise chef-co-owner’s other recent accomplishments:
Esquire named Leah & Louise one of the Best New Restaurants in America in 2020.
- BayHaven Restaurant Group, which he owns with his wife, Subrina, has got four new restaurants on the way: Beyond Amazing Donuts, Bird is the Word, Passage Seafood and The Abyss.
- The BayHaven Food & Wine Festival is returning for a second year this October.
- A takeout lunch and pop-up partnership this spring with “Top Chef” contestant Ashleigh Shanti of Asheville at Leah & Louise.
- Uptown Yolk, also owned and operated by the Colliers, is on its way back in a new location — at Vantage South End.
Collier was nominated the most times when CharlotteFive asked readers: “If you could have any Charlotte chef teach you to make a meal, who would you choose?”
- Most recently, Collier was named executive chef of the Centurian Lounge at Charlotte Douglas International Airport.
James Beard Award nominations
The awards — held in Chicago with related events, including the inaugural Friends of James Beard Benefits Stadium Chef Series that Collier cooked at — were announced Monday via the James Beard Foundation’s Twitter feed.
Collier’s nomination for Best Chef: Southeast was his third in that category. He was nominated in 2020 for his work at Uptown Yolk, and in 2019 for his work with the now-closed Loft & Cellar. This year was his first as a finalist.
“Being the first chef in Charlotte to reach the finals is an honor,” Collier said at the time. “This just goes to show how much work Subrina and I have put in and further adds to the notion that Charlotte is and has been a great food city. Representing our family, our culture, our heritage, and Charlotte is the most rewarding part of our career.”
At Leah & Louise, Collier focuses on elevating Mississippi River valley staples with reinterpretations of Southern dishes. The menu changes from time to time, but you’ll likely find a few staples such as the River Chips (a must-try version of fried chicken skins drizzled in the restaurant’s signature granch dressing) and the Mud Island entree (a nod to Memphis that features blackened catfish, smoked catfish stew, rice grits, pickled field peas and candied peppers).
The Leah’s Cabbage dish is also a fan favorite (slow roasted cabbage, pepper honey, smoked sausage and a pork neck bisque) — look for it to pop up on the Centurian Lounge menu, as well.
The Camp North End restaurant menu includes a “PAY WHAT YOU CAN” dish to extend its food and hospitality to all who come, no matter their financial or social status.
Best Chef: Southeast
The criteria for best chefs by region were those who set high standards in their culinary skills and leadership abilities, and who are making efforts to help create a sustainable work culture in their respective regions.
[NC chef Ricky Moore takes home James Beard Award for Durham seafood shack]
Those selected could be from any kind of dining establishment but must have been working as a chef in their respective region for at least three years.
Other chefs in the Carolinas who were semifinalists in the category included:
- Katie Button, Cúrate, Asheville (finalist)
- Oscar Diaz, The Cortez, Raleigh
Philip Krajeck, Rolf and Daughters, Nashville (finalist)
- Cheetie Kumar, Garland, Raleigh (finalist)
- Moore, SALTBOX Seafood Joint, Durham (finalist and winner)
- Orlando Pagán, Wild Common, Charleston
- Peyton Smith, Mission Pizza Napoletana, Winston-Salem
- Stephanie Tyson, Sweet Potatoes, Winston-Salem
- Aaron Vandemark, Panciuto, Hillsborough
[RELATED: The James Beard Awards are tonight. Meet the chefs who could win from North Carolina.]
North Carolina chefs who have previously won the distinction of Best Chef: Southeast are:
- Ashley Christensen, Poole’s Downtown Diner, Raleigh (2014)
- Andrea Reusing, Lantern, Chapel Hill (2011)
- Ben Barker, Magnolia Grill (now closed), Durham (2000)
This story was originally published June 13, 2022 at 9:12 PM.
