The finalists are being announced (of course) on Twitter. So forgive me if I miss some salient Southerners. But of most interest to us’n’s:
- Linton Hopkins of Restaurant Eugene and Hugh Acheson of Five and Ten in Athens are once again finalists for Best Chef Southeast. They go up against Andrea Reusing (Lantern, Chapel Hill, NC), Bill Smith (Crook’s Corner, Chapel Hill) and Sean Brock (McCrady’s, Charleston, SC). Folks tend to work their way up the ladder, so I’m predicting a win for Hopkins or Acheson this year. Though Brock, a young chef, is getting a huge national reputation and may pull off the upset.
- Blackberry Farm in Walland, Tenn., gets a nod for Outstanding Wine Service.
- “The Lee Bros. Simple Fresh Southern: Knockout Dishes with Down-Home Flavor” (Clarkson Potter, $35) gets a nomination in the American Cooking category in the cookbook awards for authors Matt Lee and Ted Lee.
- John T. Edge is a finalist for the M.F.K. Fisher Distinguished Writing award for his work on …