No Indiana chefs made the list of finalists for the 2014 James Beard restaurant and chef awards. Four chefs — David Tallent, of Bloomington, and Regina Mehallick, Greg Hardesty and Neal Brown, all of Indianapolis, had made the “long list” of semifinalists in the Best Chefs — Great Lakes region category, along with Mike Floyd
The James Beard Foundation Awards will be presented in May in New York City.
It is the eighth year in a row that Tallent has been on the semifinalist list – something he calls “very humbling.”
“It’s always nice to be recognized – to know there are people that recognize the hard work and the passion that goes into what we do – I appreciate it,” Tallent told EatDrinkIndy writer Chris Bavender in a recent interview. “You have those days where you just feel like banging your head against the wall for whatever reason – something that doesn’t go right, etc. – and this makes all the burns and scrapes and cuts worth it when people recognize it. Everyone loves to be told they are doing a good job.”
Mehallick has been a semifinalist five times, Hardesty three times and Brown twice.
–Jolene Ketzenberger
