It's about time. This morning the James Beard Foundation released its list of semifinalists for the 2016 Restaurant and Chef Awards and plenty of love has been given to South Florida. Leading the pack in Miami is Alter with nominations for Best New Restaurant and Rising Star of the Year for its chef Brad Kilgore.
Representing in the Best Chef: South category are José Mendín of Pubbelly; Giorgio Rapicavoli of Eating House; Michael Pirolo of Macchialina and Deme Lomas of NIU. Getting a nod in the pastry category is Antonio Bachour of The St. Regis Bal Harbour Resort. Popular Florida eateries like Bern's Steakhouse and The Ravenous Pig also got some love from the committee.
If you want to find out how the committee comes to their decisions, here's a little refresher. The James Beard finalists will be announced on March 15.