Citing concerns over transparency, the South’s representative on the James Beard Foundation Restaurant & Chef awards committee on Thursday night resigned from the group.
Todd Price, who covers Southern food and culture for The USA Today Network, stepped down after AL.com reported that Best Chef-South finalist Timothy Hontzas was disqualified from the awards competition. Hontzas’s disqualification followed a James Beard Foundation investigation into an anonymous tip that he had yelled at an employee and guests at his Birmingham restaurant, according to AL.com, which cited an email that Hontzas provided to the outlet.
