Fresh oysters at Henrietta Red, a semifinalist for Best New Restaurant.
The list of James Beard Award semifinalists dropped today, and the results are great for Nashville.
Germantown seafood newcomer Henrietta Red is a nominee for Best New Restaurant, one of just a few Southern names on the national list. And the business-side proprietors of the restaurant, brothers Benjamin and Max Goldberg of Strategic Hospitality, are also nominated for Outstanding Restaurateur.
Even more impressively, three Nashville chefs are semifinalists for Best Chef: Southeast — Andy Little of Josephine, Josh Habiger of Bastion (another Strategic Hospitality joint), and Margot McCormack of Margot, one of the original restaurants that launched Nashville's new dining scene. Also representing Tennessee on the list are Cassidee Dabney of Blackberry Farm (whose predecessor Joseph Lenn won back in 2013) and Andrew Ticer and Michael Hudman of Memphis's Andrew Michael Italian Kitchen.
Finally, Lisa Marie White has been nominated for Best Pastry Chef. White runs the delicious sweet shop at the Thompson Hotel’s three eating establishments — the coffee shop Killebrew, the fine-dining seafood restaurant Marsh House and rooftop bar L.A. Jackson.
Habiger and Bastion were semifinalists for Best New Restaurant last year, and Little was up for Best Chef: Southeast. The Goldbergs were semifinalists for Outstanding Restaurateur in 2016 — which is the only year a Nashville chef has won, when Tandy Wilson of City House was named Best Chef: Southeast.
The finalists for the awards will be announced in mid-March, and the awards will be presented in early May.
