St. John's Hospitality Group announced that Chef Daniel Lindley is a Semifinalist for a James Beard Foundation Award.
Each nominee must be recommended by a respected and influential food critic. After the nomination is sent to the James Beard staff, a team is sent to evaluate the restaurant's food quality, service and presentation. Five finalists will be selected in each category by a panel of regional restaurant critics, food and wine editors, and past James Beard Foundation Award winners, announced on March 22. Winners will be announced in May, at Lincoln Center's Avery Fisher Hall in New York.
Notable names on the semifinalist list in other categories include Tom Colicchio of Craft in New York and Paul Kahan of Blackbird in Chicago, as well as restaurants including New York's Gramercy Tavern, where Mr. Lindley cooked early in his career.
"We're delighted that Daniel has been recognized as a semifinalist for the second year in a row," said Chef Lindley's business partner Josh Carter. "The James Beard Foundation Awards honor the highest levels outstanding achievement from among thousands of nominees. While we're proud of Daniel, we're not surprised. We've been enjoying his talent for years."
Chef Lindley began his work at St. John's Restaurant and St. John's Meeting Place a decade ago; last year he opened Alleia, an Italian-inspired restaurant in the city's Southside. As a pioneer of using food from local farms and raising culinary standards in Chattanooga, his menus are known throughout the area for the best ingredients and food preparation.
'I am certainly honored by this year's James Beard Nomination," said Mr. Lindley. "Since the beginning, St. John's has set out to provide a consistently exceptional dining experience. The fact that the James Beard Foundation has acknowledged us, two years in a row, is really exciting for myself, our amazing staff and our city as well."