The James Beard Foundation has announced its list of the 2023 semifinalists for best restaurant and chef, including quite a few familiar names from metro Atlanta.

Finalists will be announced on March 29 and winners during the annual award ceremony on June 5 in Chicago.

Best Chef – Southeast

  • Ronald Hsu, Lazy Betty in Candler Park
  • Terry Koval, The Deer and the Dove in Decatur
  • Jiyeon Lee and Cody Taylor, Heirloom Market BBQ in Smyrna
  • Sahar Siddiqi, Chai Pani in Decatur
  • Deborah VanTrece, Twisted Soul Cookhouse & Pours in Westside

Outstanding Bakery

  • Buena Gente Cuban Bakery, Decatur

Outstanding Hospitality

  • Ticonderoga Club, Inman Park

Outstanding Wine Program

  • Lyla Lila, Midtown

Outstanding Restaurateur

  • Clinton Gray, Derrick Moore, and Emanuel Reed –  Slim and Husky’s Pizza Beeria, which has locations on Howell Mill Road and Metropolitan Parkway.

Collin Kelley is the executive editor of Atlanta Intown, Georgia Voice, and the Rough Draft newsletter. He has been a journalist for nearly four decades and is also an award-winning poet and novelist.