Breaking news from the James Beard Foundation awards committee: Tampa's Zack Gross (of Z Grille) and Sarasota's Derek Barnes (of Derek's Culinary Casual) made the semifinals list for Best Chef: South a month ago, and Bern's made the short list for Outstanding Restaurant, but none of them made the cut to the finalists list announced today.
I profiled Barnes in CL Sarasota a couple of weeks ago, and reviewed Z Grille a couple of months ago; both are well worth a visit, but the Beard Foundation has always tended towards honoring chefs with name recognition, usually from bigger markets. Still, as hackneyed as it sounds, it's a big step for both Barnes, Gross, Bern's and Florida's Gulf Coast for them to make it on the semifinalist roster. Congrats again, guys.
Check out the full list of finalists after the break:
