Three Nashville chefs have been nominated for a 2020 James Beard Award. The James Beard Awards are given in many categories, including chefs and restaurants, books, journalism, and broadcast media, plus restaurant design, leadership, humanitarian work, and lifetime achievement.
The Awards are hosted by the James Beard Foundation, whose mission is to make America’s food culture more delicious, diverse, and sustainable for everyone, the James Beard Foundation is dedicated to cultivating leadership, recognizing excellence, and producing results through our programs and awards.
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The Nashville chefs to grab a spot on this coveted list are:
- Julia Sullivan, Henrietta Red, Nashville – Best Chef in Southeast
- Will Aghajanian and Liz Johnson, The Catbird Seat, Nashville-Best Rising Star Chef of the Year
Over the past few months, COVID-19 has upended the restaurant community in every facet. During this time the Foundation has turned its attention to supporting the relief and rebuilding efforts, postponing Awards activities to instead focus on the James Beard Foundation Food and Beverage Industry Relief Fund, which to date has disbursed more than $4 million to independent, locally-owned restaurants around the country.
After consultation with the chefs and restaurateurs across the country, the Foundation decided to announce the 2020 nominees and honorees and set the dates for this year’s remaining Awards events, which recognize the work done in 2019. The Restaurant & Chef Award winners are slated to be announced on Friday, September 25, 2020, from Chicago and they will be broadcast live via the James Beard Foundation’s Twitter feed. Additional details on the September announcement, including format and location, are forthcoming.
