Last week, the James Beard Awards finalists were announced — and again, Charlotte was overlooked. It felt a little weird this year anticipating the announcement of the finalists as the restaurant and hospitality industry struggles to survive the COVID-19 pandemic, with mixed emotions celebrating accomplishments yet knowing some among those finalists would shut down their restaurants. 

Charlotte is no stranger to the James Beard Awards. For the past five years, the city has made the semi-finalist list, but has never moved on. The process to receive the honor includes criteria that makes it harder for smaller cities like Charlotte to gain traction and the attention of Jame Beard Awards committee members.

Prior to COVID-19, I would have said Charlotte had a great chance of earning a spot among finalists in the next two to four years. Joe Kindred has been a semi-finalist consecutively for five years, Paul Verica has the attention of the foundation for The Stanley, Gregory Collier has been a semi-finalist for two years and has a highly anticipated new restaurant, Leah and Louise, and Chris Coleman could grab the foundation’s attention with The Goodyear House. But now, I question our likelihood and whether the James Beard Foundation and the awards committee will consider Charlotte worthy of the recognition. Not because we don’t deserve it or that we’re not good enough, rather what the James Beard Foundation and the awards committee expectations post-COVID-19 will look like. 

Before the pandemic, committee members traveled across the country dining at restaurants to find chefs and restaurateurs creating food that contributed to the changing landscape of their industry. The awards would recognize those leaders for their innovation, creativity, and strong point-of-view. The food was the focal point, their steps of service highlighted, all the exterior mechanisms of the industry were reviewed and judged to determine eligibility of the coveted acknowledgement. The harder tasks of the business — staff culture, business model, community involvement, and activism — were complementary traits, but not necessary boxes to check off for eligibility. But, that could all change post-COVID-19. 

My fear is the James Beard Awards will now measure chef and restaurateur success based on chefs’  activism and community involvement, and lower the bar for culinary and hospitality achievement. Will they honor the chefs and restaurants that persevered through hardship and were at the forefront of advocacy, overlooking the culinary talents of smaller towns and cities? How do you measure impact when comparing cities like New York City and Charlotte?

This isn’t a farfetched assumption, as the James Beard Foundation has taken measures in the last few years to increase activism and host workshops and retreats, including one in Charlotte last year.  The organization has also started to provide resources for chefs and hospitality leaders to develop the skills needed to run healthier, more sustainable businesses. Now that chefs are expected to also act as advocates, will these skills become the new requirement to becoming a James Beard Award winner? 

The foundation has a humanitarian award category, awarded to chefs that have been in the industry for decades and have achieved a level of success and fame that supports their humanitarian achievements. The honor serves almost as a lifetime achievement award. A young chef and restaurant cannot measure up to those accolades of a well seasoned chef and restaurateur. The outstanding chef category also serves as means to recognize a chef that has built a successful and sustainable restaurant group, one that achieves more than just exceptional food. It must also be a healthy business, safe environment for staff, and its chef must be a community leader. The regional best chef categories, on the other hand, have been to acknowledge the food and service, not the achievement of activism. 

With these pressures to be able to do it all, the awards seem almost unattainable. No one can master it all. Something must be sacrificed. If it becomes an unspoken requirement and expectation for chefs and restaurateurs to be away from their restaurants to increase community involvement and activism, then the food and steps of service will be compromised. The award is then no longer a culinary achievement, but rather recognition of activism and who has the best PR firm. 

The James Beard Awards matter because they provide validation, bring the culinary community together to celebrate our hard work, and allow us to applaud the talents of chefs across the country who are shaping the evolving landscape of the culinary and hospitality industry. Their achievements inspire and motivate the next wave of rising chefs, give fervor back to the most seasoned chefs, and provide hope that food continues to be the connector of cultures, socioeconomics, and perspectives. It is universal and unbiased.

Charlotte is packed with diverse food, the culinary talents are some of the best, and within our small city we are mobilizing change in the industry. Not many cities reacted as quickly as Charlotte did when COVID-19 struck. It seemed like overnight our restaurants changed their business models to continue to provide food to guests as well as community members in need, such as kids who weren’t getting lunch due to school closures. Restaurants collaborated with each other, extended free food to those who lost jobs, provided makeshift grocery stores within their restaurant walls, and remained connected with one another to provide a shoulder to cry on and help pick one another back up. 

We set aside our egos and strengthened our community while keeping the integrity of our food and not compromising our hospitality. These are the achievements that deserve recognition and should be acknowledged. For so long, Charlotte has been asked to define our food identity and what sets us apart from other cities. We’re a community, we embody neighborly love, we cook from the heart, and remain unshook from the unrealistic pressures to be the best new restaurant, masters of social media, or fear the threats of cancel culture. 

There is a quote, “be so good they can’t ignore you.” That is Charlotte — and whether or not we earn a James Beard Award or other national media accolades, if we remain good, cook with integrity, and let good old-fashioned hospitality guide our morals, Charlotte will be “the best” — with or without an award. —Justin Burke 

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