And then there were two.
The James Beard Foundation has named its 2018 awards finalists — and two of Georgia’s 12 semifinalists made the cut: Decatur’s Kimball House for outstanding bar program, and Mashama Bailey of The Grey in Savannah for best chef in the Southeast.
The awards honor excellence in cuisine, culinary writing and culinary education in the United States. They were established in 1990 and often are called “the Oscars of food.” The 2018 winners will be announced May 7 in Chicago.
The Kimball House, at 303 E. Howard Ave. in Decatur, is competing for best bar program with Anvil Bar & Refuge in Houston; Bar Agricole in San Francisco; Clyde Common in Portland, Ore.; Cure in New Orleans; and Trick Dog in San Francisco.
The Grey’s Bailey is up against Katie Button of Nightbell in Asheville, N.C.; Cassidee Dabney of The Barn at Blackberry Farm in Walland, Tenn.; Rodney Scott of Rodney Scott’s BBQ in Charleston, S.C.; and Andrew Ticer and Michael Hudman of Andrew Michael Italian Kitchen in Memphis, Tenn. The Southeast region comprises Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and West Virginia.
[SEE A FULL LIST OF SEMIFINALISTS FROM GEORGIA, NO SMALL FEAT ITSELF]
