This Jackson chef is one of the best in the country and semifinalist for James Beard Awards
A Mississippi chef and restaurant have a place on the James Beard Foundation's Restaurant and Chef Awards so-called "long list" for 2024.
The James Beard Awards recognize talent in the culinary arts, hospitality, media and broader food system and, increasingly, a commitment to racial and gender equity, community and sustainability.
Restaurant and chef awards include Outstanding Bar Program, Outstanding Baker and Best New Restaurant.
Chef Hunter Evans of Elvie's restaurant was selected in the Best Chef in the South category. Vestige restaurant in Ocean Springs, Mississippi, was selected in the Outstanding Restaurant category.
Evans opened Elvie's in the Belhaven neighborhood in 2020 and named it after his grandmother, who lived in New Orleans, and the food is influenced by that Louisiana city.
Vestige is a tasting-menu-only restaurant. Customers commit to a five-course menu, and everyone is served the same food. The cost, on most nights, is $85. Chef Alex Perry's approach is appreciated by local diners, enough to keep the restaurant’s 18 seats full.
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Meet MS 2024 James Beard Award semifinalists: Hunter Evans, Vestige
