Greg and Subrina Collier, owners of Leah & Louise. Photo by Peter Taylor

The James Beard Foundation announced the nominees for its 2022 Restaurant and Chef Awards, and chef Greg Collier is officially a nominee for Best Chef: Southeast. Nominees are the chefs that advance from the semifinalist round; the winners — one in each category — will be announced in June at a live event. 20 chefs were named semifinalists in the Best Chef: Southeast category; of those, five were named nominees. The nominees for Best Chef: Southeast include fellow North Carolina chefs Katie Button, Ricky Moore, and Cheetie Kumar.

Alley Twenty Six, a cocktail bar in Durham, is a nominee for Outstanding Bar Program nationwide.

Greg and Subrina’s restaurant, Leah & Louise, opened at Camp North End just as the pandemic hit, serving dishes inspired by the foods the Colliers grew up eating in Memphis in a restaurant that reflects a modern juke joint. The duo has since announced four new concepts at Camp North End, as well as a South End return for their breakfast spot The Yolk. Collier was recently named Chef of the Year at our inaugural UPPY Awards.

Charlotte has never before had a chef advance past the first round of the James Beard Awards. Collier was the only local chef to make the semifinalist list this year; in recent years, Joe Kindred and Paul Verica have also made the semifinalist list.