Renowned culinary arts nonprofit the James Beard Foundation announced on Wednesday the semifinalists for its annual Restaurant and Chef Awards, and five Nashville chefs were among those long-listed.
The new East Nashville spot features an award-winning chef, a carefully curated wine list and a warm space
Once again earning a place among the Outstanding Restaurateur semifinalists are Benjamin Goldberg, Max Goldberg and Josh Habiger of Strategic Hospitality. The Nashville-based restaurant group behind award-winning spots Locust, Kisser and Bastion (the latter of which is owned by Chef Habiger) has made the semifinalist list in this category before, including as recently as 2020.
The only Music City outpost to earn a spot amid the Best New Restaurant nominees is East Nashville’s Bad Idea. Opened in late 2023 by owner Alex Burch, Bad Idea features chef Colby Ravaging’s Lao cuisine and a carefully curated wine list from Burch, who in the past has helped the wine programs for spots including Bastion and Henrietta Red.
With an exceptional Asian-inspired menu and great service, Noko leads with its heart
Meanwhile, three local chefs have been named semifinalists in the Best Chef: Southeast category, which covers Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, West Virginia and Tennessee. Julio Hernández of Maíz de la Vida, who landed in 2023’s Emerging Chef of the Year semifinalists and won the Scene's 2024 Iron Fork competition, is on this year’s Best Chef: Southeast list, just a few months after moving into his brick-and-mortar. Joining Hernández in the category are Peninsula’s Jake Howell (a 2022 semifinalist and 2019 winner of the Scene’s Iron Fork trophy) and first-time semifinalist Dung “Junior” Vo of beloved East Side restaurant Noko.
The James Beard Foundation will announce its nominees April 2, with a winners’ ceremony slated for June 16 at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.
