James Beard Awards Names ​13 Georgia Semifinalists

ATLANTA, GA — Seven chefs, two restaurateurs, two pastry chefs, a superb wine list and a very hospitable club.

That sums up Georgia’s showing Wednesday as the James Beard Foundation announced the semifinalists for a host of 2022 awards. The same organization that last week named the iconic Busy Bee in Atlanta’s Vine City as one of six “American Classics” Award winners has pulled again from Atlanta with a top prospect from Southeast Coastal Georgia and two from Atlanta’s suburbs.

In the category of Best Chef, Southeast, Joey Ward is listed for doing double duty at Atlanta next-door neighbors Southern Belle and Georgia Boy on Ponce de Leon Avenue. Craig Richards serves up southern European cuisine at Lyla Lila in Midtown, and Jason Liang astounds with Brush Sushi Izakaya in Decatur.

Georgia Emerging Chef semifinalists Mia Orino and Carlo Gan share the same Filipino kitchen at Kamayan ATL in Doraville. And in the running for Outstanding Pastry Chef are Jen Yee of Hopkins and Company in the Armour Loop and Claudia Martinez of West Midtown’s Miller Union.

Outstanding Restaurateur choices include a pair of Atlanta-based business owners: Kevin Gillespie, of Red Beard Restaurants which feature Gunshow, Ole Reliable and Revival; and partners Todd Richards and Joshua Lee who run the East Lake barbeque house Lake & Oak.

James Beard Foundation Semifinalists: The Full List

Ticonderoga Club in Atlanta’s Inman Park neighborhood, with its craft cocktails and comfort food, has made the list of semifinalists recognized for Outstanding Hospitality. And Lyla Lila also made the list for Outstanding Wine.

Finally, the Peach State’s entry for Outstanding Chef is Mashama Bailey of The Grey in Savannah, where her high-end soulful meals are served up in an elegantly restored Greyhound Bus terminal.

Final nominees will be revealed on March 16 in Scottsdale, Arizona, and all winners will be honored at the James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards ceremony on June 13 at the Lyric Opera in Chicago.

Over the past year, the James Beard Foundation said it conducted an audit of the policies and procedures of the awards. The foundation learned it needed to work to remove any systemic bias; increase the diversity of the voting body; ensure that communities far and wide know about the awards and how eligible candidates may apply; increase transparency in how the awards function; and align the awards more outwardly with the foundation's mission and values.