NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — The James Beard Awards, often called the Oscars of the food world, released semi-finalists this week and Nashville fared pretty well.
Semi-finalists:
Clinton Gray, Derrick Moore, and Emanuel Reed, of Slim & Husky’s Pizza Beeria are nominated in the category of Outstanding Restaurateur.
Julio Hernandez from Maiz de la Vida is nominated in the category of Emerging Chef.
Noelle Marchetti from Yolan is a semifinalist for Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker.
Trevor Moran of Locust and Josh Habiger of Bastion are also nominated in the category of Best Chef in the Southeast.
When you ask the founders of Slim & Husky's what their secret ingredient is, they don't shy away from telling the truth.
"We created what we feel like is Nashville-style pizza. From three Nashville-born and raised guys, you really taste the southern roots in our pizza, along with the love and the commitment that we have to our community," chief marketing Clinton Gray said.
The trio opened their business on Buchanan Street in 2017 and almost instantly struck a chord in North Nashville.
"The first six months or so we had a line pretty much down the block. That first day we said, 'man, we have something on our hands.' So we started really realizing the first day really that we had a product that people loved," CEO Emanuel Reed said.
Now in 2023 they have locations in Atlanta, Sacramento, and Memphis.
Every expansion the trio makes is with intense attention, but this week something happened, and none of them saw coming.
"She was like congratulations. I'm like, 'What are you talking about? And she's like you don't know? Know what is it? The James Beard Award, y'all got nominated." said Derrick Moore, chief development officer.
Gray said the award would not be possible without the team the help of their team.
"We call ourselves the PREAM team that starts with our right-hand man Chef Jason Williams, alongside the rest of our corporate team, our general managers, our AGM's, team leads, and staff all across Slim & Husky's. Without them and without the community, we would not have the opportunity to be nominated for the James Beard Award," he said.
Maiz De La Vida
Chef Julio Hernandez said he was working when the announcement reached him.
"Believe it or not, we were in the middle of grinding and making tortillas in the early morning. I did not look at my phone until past noon, when I pulled out my phone I had text messages from friends," Hernandez said.
He said he needed some convincing to believe the news.
"When it really hit me was when I saw Tennessee. That is us. I don't know why seeing my name and the company was not enough. I had to see Tennessee on it to really get it," he said.
His food truck Maiz De La Vida has made a name for itself by offering some of Nashville's best Mexican food.
And after some thinking, Hernandez said being nominated in the category of emerging chef fits.
"We have emerged from my house where we started. We emerged from the Farmers Market here in East Nashville where we went. We emerged from the sidewalk here in Chopper's. Then we have a tortilla shop, and now we're moving forward to opening the brick-and-mortar in the Gulch this summer," Hernandez said.
Moving forward, a panel of judges will determine five finalists and the announcement will be made on March 29 in Nashville.
Final winners will be announced in Chicago on June 5.
