Ready for the best news you'll read all day? The Reading Room's executive chef and co-owner, Lauren Macellaro, has given the Bay area another shot at the James Beard Foundation's Best Chef: South honor.
On Thursday morning as part of its annual Restaurant and Chef Awards, the Foundation named New York native Macellaro — one of the minds behind the young Reading Room, which opened in west St. Petersburg around this time last year — as a semifinalist in the coveted category, alongside two other Florida chefs from Palm Beach and West Palm Beach.
Cafe Ponte and On Swann's Chris Ponte and Ferrell Alvarez of Rooster & the Till were both up for Best Chef: South in 2017. Throw in those local chefs who've landed semifinalist recognition from the category in the past — including Greg Baker (The Refinery and Fodder & Shine), Chad Johnson (Epicurean Hotel and Haven) and Jeannie Pierola (Edison: Food + Drink Lab) — and Macellaro is very much in good company.
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The region's last 2018 semifinalist is Columbia Restaurant Group President Richard Gonzmart. Responsible for Tampa's Columbia Restaurant, Goody Goody and Ulele, Gonzmart is in the running for Outstanding Restaurateur, a category he, too, nabbed a nod from in 2017.
But how does this portion of the Beard awards, often called the Oscars of food, work? Starting in mid-October, the Foundation holds an online open call for restaurant and chef entries, which are reviewed by the Restaurant and Chef Committee. A nominating ballot is then compiled by the committee — after eligibility and regional representation are determined — and voila! The semifinalists are revealed.
The Foundation is scheduled to unveil the final nominees on March 14. Winners in each of the 21 categories will receive their Beard awards during an open-to-the-public gala on May 7 at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.
This article appears in Feb 15-22, 2018.