Georgia Magazine - September 2022 - 9

Georgians recognized at James Beard
Foundation awards
A
t the James Beard Foundation's
(JBF) Restaurant and Chef
Awards this summer, the JBF
honored Mashama Bailey, co-owner of
and head chef at The Grey in Savannah,
with its Outstanding Chef Award and
The Busy Bee Café in Atlanta with an
America's Classics Award.
" [At The Grey], we're all completely
humbled by this experience, " Bailey says.
" Being seen feels very special coming
from an organization like the James
Beard Foundation, especially in such a
demanding industry. "
The JBF Restaurant and Chef
Awards, which were held June 13 in
Chicago, are among the highest honors
in the culinary world and restaurant
industry.
" Today, a little black girl or a little
black boy can see [herself or himself] as
a future Outstanding Chef, " Bailey said
in her acceptance speech. " They can
see themselves in a space that they have
never seen before and do what they cannot
think is possible, and, until just a few
minutes ago, that was me, so thank you. "
Bailey was born in New York
City, attended grammar school in
Savannah and spent many summers at
her grandmother's home in Waynesboro.
She learned about cooking from her family
and studied at the Institute of Culinary
Education in New York and abroad in
France. In 2014, she returned to
Savannah to open The Grey in a former
Greyhound bus station.
" Living and cooking in Savannah
[have] allowed me to find my voice, "
Bailey says.
Bailey is no stranger to the JBF
awards. In 2015 The Grey was named
a semifinalist for Best New Restaurant,
and in 2019, Bailey was named Best Chef
Southeast. That same year, Bailey and
The Grey were featured on Season 6 of
Netflix's " Chef's Table. "
In February, the JBF announced its
winners of the 2022 America's Classics
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Awards. This award is presented to
" locally owned restaurants that have
timeless appeal and are beloved
regionally for quality food that reflects
the character of [their communities]. "
These winners were celebrated at the
June awards ceremony.
Among the Classics winners was
The Busy Bee Café in Atlanta, owned by
Tracy Gates. Opened in 1947 by Lucy
Jackson, The Busy Bee was frequented
by civil rights activists such as Martin
Luther King Jr. and U.S. Rep. John Lewis.
It is now a local and tourist destination
known for its Southern comfort staples,
such as fried chicken, cornbread,
collard greens and peach cobbler.
For more information about the
James Beard Foundation and its award
winners, visit bit.ly/jamesba22. To
Mashama Bailey accepts the James Beard
Foundation's 2022 Outstanding Chef Award.
learn about these Georgia restaurants,
visit thegreyrestaurant.com and
thebusybeecafe.com.
-Rinn Norman
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9
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Georgia Magazine - September 2022

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