Bern’s Steak House, chef Greg Baker named James Beard semifinalists

Nine chefs and one restaurant in Florida’s culinary scene qualified as James Beard Foundation Awards semifinalists, and two of them, Bern’s Steak House and Greg Baker of The Refinery and Fodder & Shine, are from Tampa Bay.

The region scored four semifinalist nominations last year. And this time around, Bern’s (which snagged a 2014 nomination in the Outstanding Restaurant category) was recognized for Outstanding Wine Program, while Baker received the Best Chef: South nomination for the fourth year in a row.

Chefs from cities like Miami Beach, Sarasota, Winter Park, Orlando and Jacksonville also picked up  nods in the Best Chef: South category.

This article appears in Feb 12-18, 2015.