The list of Alabama-based 2024 James Beard Award semifinalists includes some newcomers to the nation's most prestigious honor, bestowed on chefs, restaurants, beverage shows and even food journalists. ing.

The Alabama nominees, announced last Wednesday, will pit the six-time Beard semifinalist against a “Top Chef” winner, an acclaimed chef from Mobile and other top chefs in the South. do. A pastry guru who has opened a new bakery in Birmingham has been chosen from among the country's up-and-coming chefs. Bay Area restaurants are highly regarded for their wine and beverage programs.

Alabama has had a near-constant presence since the New York-based James Beard Foundation began evaluating the state's culinary scene in 1990. Since 1996, at least one Alabama chef, restaurant or bar program has made the semifinalist list 23 times. .

The state has now had a nominee for 17 consecutive years. (Due to the pandemic, the 2020 awards were canceled after the finalists were announced, and have been canceled entirely in 2021.)

Chefs who won the Best Regional Chef award in Birmingham were Frank Stitt (Bottega Restaurant and Cafe, Chez Fonfon), Chris Hastings (Hot 'n' Hot Fish Club, Ovenbird); Mr. Adam Evans (Automatic Seafood and Oyster).

Mr. Stitt is also a finalist for the National Outstanding Chef Award. His now-retired dessert master, Dorster Miles, was named the country's Outstanding Pasty Chef in the same year that Stitt's flagship Highlands Bar and Grill won the National Outstanding Restaurant category. .

Alabama documentarians and writers have also won Beard Awards.

Finalists will be selected on April 3rd, and winners in restaurant, chef, and related categories will be announced at a gala ceremony in Chicago on June 10th.

Meet the 2024 James Beard Award semifinalists.

• Rob McDaniel was once again nominated for the sixth time as Best Chef in the Southern region, which includes Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas and Puerto Rico. The first of his five nominations (from 2013 to 2017) came when McDaniel was executive chef at his SpringHouse restaurant on Martin Lake. The sixth is for work under his command. helen, a contemporary Southern grill and steakhouse in downtown Birmingham that he and his wife Emily opened in 2020. McDaniel's pedigree includes time spent working in the kitchens of Hot 'n' Hot Fish Club in Birmingham and Criolla's on Highway 30-A in the Florida Panhandle. Helen, named after the chef's grandmother, specializes in open-fire cooking.
• kelsey bernard clarke He was also selected as one of the 20 semi-finalists for Best Chef: South. Fans of televised cooking competitions may know her as the first woman to win Top Chef. That led to her cookbook, Southern Grit. (Her recipe for roasted chicken with dripping vegetables is delicious.) Ms. Clark grew up in Dothan, but her family has deep ties to Mobile, and she graduated from the Culinary Institute of America and opened a cafe in New York City.・I have worked at top restaurants such as Boulud. She is currently the owner and executive chef of a restaurant based in southeast Alabama. KBC Restaurant and Catering in Downtown Dothan.
• Arwen RiceBest Chef: South's third Alabama state semifinalist, has been the restaurant's executive chef for many years. red or white On mobile. Raised in New Mexico, she started working in restaurants in her teens and eventually landed a job at Mobile. Her menu includes French-inspired dishes, from Gurjur snacks to chicken liver mousse, charcuterie platters, and creative fusion smoked brisket patties. Another of her inspired dishes is a snacking board featuring roasted local vegetables. Gourmet pizzas are prepared in a wood-fired oven.
• chana willis She started baking bread for customers in her home kitchen and now bakes bread in her own kitchen. last call baking He is one of the nominees in the Emerging Chef category in downtown Birmingham. A former bartender who lost her job due to the pandemic, she baked bread professionally first at Urban Her Standard (now closed) and later at her home. Willis' small bakery and store will open in her November 2022, offering both sweet and savory items. By the way, the name “Last Call” recalls the night, or more precisely the morning, when she worked at the bar.
• The Hope Farm The extensive wine list is strong enough to win the top award in 2023. wine spectator, whose cocktail list also includes a dizzying selection of premium-label spirits.why are they The Hope Farm Restaurant and Urban Farm is a 2023 Beard Outstanding Wine and Other Beverage Program semifinalist. That farm, which opened in 2020 on his 1.3-acre property in Fairhope, grows much of what is served in the kitchen.