by TM Petaccia

This year’s 35th James Beard Awards will have no Charlotte representation. The three city semifinalists will not make it to the final round.

In the Best Chef: Southeast category, chef Sam Diminich of Restaurant Constance and chef Chayil Johnson of Community Matters Café were named as two of the 20 semifinalists. In a new for 2025 category, Outstanding Professional in Cocktail Service, Colleen Hughes of Supperland was the sole N.C. semifinalist in a field of 20.

However, North Carolina does have a presence in the final round as Silver Iocovozzi of Neng Jr.’s in Asheville is in the running for the Best Chef: Southeast title and April Franqueza of The Dining Room at High Hampton in Cashiers, NC will seek to earn the Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker award.

In all, 15 North Carolina chefs, restaurants, and bars were named 2025 James Beard Awards semifinalists. The last Charlotte chef to make it to the finalist/nominee stage was Sam Hart of Counter- in 2023.

The awards process began in October with an open call for recommendations, during which official regional judges and the general public offered their suggestions. Those suggestions were reviewed by a James Beard subcommittee. Semifinalists were announced on January 22.

Semifinalist subcommittee members and judges then visit semifinalists to sample their food and beverages and vote for five finalists in each category (ten for Restaurant of the Year), officially known as “nominees.” Another visitation, tasting, and voting follows, leading up to the James Beard Chef and Restaurant Awards ceremonies on June 16 at the Lyric Opera House in Chicago.

In addition to the Restaurant and Chef Awards, the James Beard Awards also recognizes achievements in Media (book, broadcast media, and journalism) and three special achievement awards: Lifetime Achievement, Humanitarian of the Year, and the Impact Award.

You can read the full list of 2025 James Beard nominee finalists here.