Charlotte chefs and restaurants snubbed for James Beard award again

The 2024 James Beard Awards finalists were just announced. Although several North Carolina restaurants made the finalists, none are from Charlotte.

Why it matters: Our city has been nominated several times and has made it to the finals twice in the last two years, but we've never won an award.

Catch up quick: Daryl Cooper and Oscar Johnson of Jimmy Pearls in Uptown received semifinalist nominations for Best Chef: Southeast by the James Beard Foundation in January.

• They were the only chefs in Charlotte to be nominated for the prestigious culinary award this year.

Go deeper: A new chapter for Jimmy Pearls

The chefs and restaurant finalists in North Carolina are:

• Dean Neff of Seabird in Wilmington for Outstanding Chef.
• Crawford and Son in Raleigh for Outstanding Hospitality.
• Jamie Davis of The Hackney in Washington for Best Chef: Southeast.

Flashback: Last year , Charlotte chefs and business owners received three semifinalist nominations — the most our city had received since 2009.

• Chef Sam Hart of Counter- was the only finalist out of the three and was ultimately beat for Best Chef: Southeast by Terry Koval of The Deer and the Dove in Decatur, GA.

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