2023 James Beard Award semifinalists are out — with three Charlotte nominees
The 2023 James Beard Award Semifinalists were announced Wednesday, with Charlotte well-represented in categories including Best Chef, Best Chef Southeast and Outstanding Bar.
Chef Greg Collier, who owns Leah & Louise with his wife, Subrina, has been named a James Beard Award Semifinalist for Best Chef Southeast three times. Now, he’s a finalist in a new category — Outstanding Chef.
Counter- and Biblio chef and owner Sam Hart has now become a James Beard Award Semifinalist for the first time, with a nomination in the Best Chef Southeast category.
Hart told CharlotteFive: “We are honored for sure. The team sees this as a validation for our focus. We are about telling stories and creating a new sustainable fine dining culture. So pumped JBF is seeing that.”
Salud Cerveceria, whose sidekick Salud Beer Bar was named Best Beer Bar in the country by USA Today for 2019, 2020 and 2021, has also been recognized by the James Beard Awards, with a nomination for Outstanding Bar. Both are owned by Jason and Dairelyn Glunt.
“We are humbled and filled with gratitude to have been nominated for such a prestigious recognition like the James Beard Award. The fact that we have been recognized feels incredible. We couldn’t do this without our amazing staff and guests,” Dairelyn Glunt told CharlotteFive.
The 2023 restaurant and chef semifinalists are recognized across 23 categories. Charlotte’s honorees and other 2023 Restaurant and Chef Award semifinalists in North Carolina are:
Outstanding Chef
- Greg Collier, Leah & Louise, Charlotte
Best New Restaurant
- Heff’s Burger Club, Winston-Salem
- Neng Jr.’s, Asheville
Outstanding Bar
- Kingfisher, Durham
- Salud Cerveceria, Charlotte
Best Chef: Southeast (GA, KY, NC, SC, TN, WV)
- Sam Hart, Counter-, Charlotte
- Josiah McGaughey, Vivian, Asheville
- Dean Neff, Seabird, Wilmington
- Keith Rhodes, Catch, Wilmington
- Stephanie Tyson, Sweet Potatoes, Winston-Salem
- Preeti Waas, Cheeni Indian Food Emporium, Raleigh
This story was originally published January 25, 2023 at 11:25 AM.
