William Dissen, Katy Kindred, Ashley Boyd, and Joe Kindred plating during a James Beard dinner at the Beard House in New York City. Photo by Courtney Collins/Jenna Bascom Photography

The James Beard Foundation announced today the finalists for the 2019 James Beard Awards and Charlotte is excluded, again. Joe Kindred and Greg Collier were semi-finalists for Best Chef: Southeast, while Paul Verica’s The Stanley was a semi-finalist for Best New Restaurant.

This was Kindred’s fourth consecutive semi-finalist nomination and Collier’s first. Verica was a semi-finalist for Best Chef: Southeast in 2017; this was The Stanley’s first nomination, for best new restaurant. The winners will be announced during the Awards Gala on Monday, May 6 in Chicago. The 2020 James Beard Award season will start again this October. —Justin Burke-Samson