If you’re following the Savannah restaurant scene, you probably already know that two local establishments have been named semifinalists for the 2015 James Beard Foundation Awards.
Cheryl and Griffith Day from Back in the Day Bakery are semifinalists in the Outstanding Baker category.
The Grey is in the running for Best New Restaurant.
The James Beard Foundation gives out some awards on a regional basis, but both of these categories have semifinalists from across the nation.
So Cheryl and Griffith Day are up against 24 other bakers from Portland, Maine, to Portland, Ore. The Grey is pitted against restaurants from Brooklyn to Beverly Hills.
The announcement of the semifinalists is great news for Savannah and perhaps another indication of positive trends in the regional dining scene.
In some respects, Savannah restaurants have simply followed national trends — like serving more local and more seasonal foods — but there’s more to it than that.
Savannah has had many restaurants over the years that have attracted national attention and wowed visitors, but we have not developed a “food scene” that competes with some other southern cities.
For example, Charleston and Atlanta each have 11 semifinalists for Beard awards this year.
Asheville has three semifinalists, all of whom are in the category for best chef in the Southeast, a category won by Elizabeth Terry of Elizabeth on 37th in 1995.
Is it fair to compare Savannah to these other cities?
Yes and no.
While Savannah is an important tourist destination and holds a unique place in the American psyche, the Savannah metro area (Chatham, Effingham and Bryan counties) has fewer than 400,000 residents.
The population of the Asheville metro area is not that much larger than ours, but Charleston has more than 700,000 residents. Other southern cities that are prominently included in the Beard awards — like Atlanta and New Orleans — have much larger metro area populations.
It’s easier for restaurants to attract national attention in larger media markets, and there is simply a bigger pool of potential customers in Charleston than in Savannah.
But there’s still a sense around town that the local restaurant scene might be heading into a culinary and entrepreneurial renaissance.
Back in the Day has thrived for more than a decade at the corner of Bull and 40th streets. The Grey is obviously a lot closer to tourist destinations, but many consider the location on the west side of Martin Luther King, Jr Boulevard to be on the fringes of downtown.
If we really are headed into a local food renaissance, we’ll probably see more and more establishments that push boundaries — with their menus and with their locations.
City Talk appears every Sunday and Tuesday. Bill Dawers can be reached via billdawers@comcast.net. Send mail to 10 E. 32nd St., Savannah, GA 31401.