Columbia's Gonzmart, 2 Tampa chefs get Beard nominations

The James Beard Foundation today named two Tampa chefs and a restaurateur as semifinalists for its prestigious annual culinary awards.

Chefs Greg Baker of The Refinery and Chad Johnson of SideBern's are among 20 nominees in the Beard's Best Chef: South category. Richard Gonzmart, president of the family-owned Columbia Restaurant chain, earned a semifinal nomination for Outstanding Restaurateur.

This is the second nomination for The Refinery, but the first for Baker in the chef category. The Refinery was a semifinalist for Best New Restaurant in the U.S. in 2011. This is first Beard nomination for Johnson and Gonzmart. Finalists will be named March 19.

The Beard awards, named for pioneering food writer James Beard, are given annually to recognize culinary excellence by chefs, restaurants, authors and other media in the United States. They are the most coveted food awards in the country.

Bay area nominees in recent years have included Bern's Steak House and Zack Gross of Z-Grille in St. Petersburg. Although Southern cities such as Miami, Atlanta and New Orleans frequently are home to multiple nominees, it is a rare achievement for Tampa to garner three in one year.

"Two chefs nominated from little ol' Tampa," Johnson said Tuesday. "How about that?"

Originally from Louisville, Ky., Johnson started at SideBern's about eight years ago as a cook and worked his way up through the ranks. He became executive chef about four years ago.

Johnson said he was as excited for his restaurant staff as he was for himself.

"My staff is full of young cooks who are ambitious and hungry," he said. "This is as much a feather in their cap."

Baker said business jumped 60 percent in one day after The Refinery earned the Best New Restaurant nomination last year. That wave of customers lasted six weeks before it tapered to a more manageable flow. He wasn't sure what this nomination would do.

"Today, I'm calling in the nuclear option with all of my vendors and suppliers," he joked. "I'm telling them, 'You better work with me as best you can.'"

Baker said he was stunned by the news and credited the team he and wife Michelle assembled since opening in 2010. Michelle Baker runs the front-of-house operations and manages the business aspects.

"Michelle is the unsung hero in this whole thing," he said.

Gonzmart, a fourth-generation family operator of the 107-year-old Columbia, joins heavy hitters in the category, including Stephen Starr of Philadelphia, and New York City restaurateurs Eric and Bruce Bromberg.

"Some people get it right in a couple years," Gonzmart joked. "It took us a little longer, I guess. We've been practicing a long time."

Among Gonzmart's numerous previous awards, he was named Florida's "Humanitarian of the Year" in 2005 by the National Restaurant Association. Earlier this month, the Tampa Metro Civitan Club honored Gonzmart with its Citizen of the Year Award. Gonzmart recently won a bid to renovate Tampa's historic Water Works Building for use as a restaurant along the Hillsborough River.

Baker said the trio of nominations is a sign Tampa Bay's food scene is rising in national prominence.

"There are forces to be reckoned with here," he said. "We're not the most cosmopolitan of places, but there is good food here in Tampa and St. Pete. I hope there's some recognition of that."