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Out of Eight Semifinalists, One Chef Will Represent Atlanta at the James Beard Awards

Terry Koval from the Deer and the Dove is a finalist for best chef southeast

Chef Terry Koval
Terry Koval is a finalist for best chef southeast.
The Deer and the Dove
Beth McKibben is the editor and staff reporter for Eater Atlanta and has been covering food and cocktails locally and regionally for 12 years.

After announcing the semifinalists in January, the finalists for the 2023 James Beard Foundation awards just dropped.

Known as the “Oscars” of the food world, restaurant and chef awards are given out annually in categories like best chef southeast, outstanding restaurant, best new restaurant, and emerging chef. Out of the eight 2023 semifinalist chefs and restaurants for Atlanta, only one chef will represent the city and its sprawling metropolitan area (the eighth largest metropolitan area in the United States, by the way) at the awards ceremony in Chicago. No restaurants from Atlanta or Georgia were named finalists.

This year’s Atlanta semifinalists included Ticonderoga Club for outstanding hospitality, Lyla Lila for outstanding wine program, and Buena Gente Cuban Bakery in Decatur for outstanding bakery. Clinton Gray, Derrick Moore, and Emanuel Reed of Nashville’s Slim and Husky’s Pizza Beeria were also semifinalists for outstanding restaurateur. The trio opened two Atlanta locations of the restaurant on Howell Mill Road and Metropolitan Parkway.

Ronald Hsu and Aaron Phillips of Lazy Betty, Terry Koval of The Deer and the Dove, Jiyeon Lee and Cody Taylor of Heirloom Market BBQ, Sahar Siddiqi of Chai Pani in Decatur, and Deborah VanTrece of Twisted Soul Cookhouse & Pours were semifinalists for best chef southeast.

Below is the full list of the 2023 Atlanta and Alabama nominees. Award winners are announced during a ceremony taking place Monday, June 5, at Lyric Opera in Chicago.

Best Chef: Southeast

Outstanding Hospitality

Best Chef: South

The Grey in Savannah, backed by two-time James Beard award-winning chef Mashama Bailey, was a semifinalist for outstanding restaurant. Unforgettable Bakery and Cafe in Savannah was also among this year’s semifinalists for outstanding bakery.

Disclosure: Some Vox Media staff members are part of the voting body for the James Beard Awards. Eater is partnering with the James Beard Foundation to livestream the awards in 2023.

Heirloom Market BBQ

2243 Akers Mill Road Southeast, , GA 30339 (770) 612-2502 Visit Website

Ticonderoga Club

99 Krog Street Northeast, , GA 30307 (404) 458-4534 Visit Website

The Deer and The Dove

155 Sycamore Street, , GA 30030 (404) 748-4617 Visit Website

Twisted Soul Cookhouse & Pours

1133 Huff Road Northwest, , GA 30318 (404) 350-5500 Visit Website

Lyla Lila

693 Peachtree Street Northeast, , GA 30308 (404) 963-2637 Visit Website

Chai Pani

406 West Ponce de Leon Avenue, , GA 30030 (404) 378-4030 Visit Website

Lazy Betty

1530 DeKalb Avenue Northeast, , GA 30307 (404) 975-3692 Visit Website

The Grey

109 Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, Savannah, GA 31401 (912) 662-5999 Visit Website

Buena Gente Cuban Bakery

1365 Clairmont Road, , GA 30033 (678) 744-5638 Visit Website