James Beard Semifinalists Announced

By Liz Leslie

Posted February 28, 2012

The James Beard Foundation announced the 2012 semifinalists for their Restaurant and Chef Awards last week, and three Indiana chefs made the cut.

Nominations for the best chefs in the Great Lakes region include two Indianapolis chefs and one in Bloomington.

Regina Mehallick is the executive chef and owner of R bistro in Indianapolis. A finalist in 2010 for the same award, she focuses on local ingredients and changes the menu weekly.

Chef and owner of Recess Greg Hardesty also focuses on fresh and local ingredients for his Indianapolis restaurant. He and his team create a new four-course pre fixe menu daily.

Chef David Tallent owns Bloomington's Restaurant Tallent with his wife, pastry chef and general manager Kristen. They studied at New York City's Culinary Institutes of America before opening Tallent in 2003. Both focus on local and slow food.

For the complete list of James Beard semifinalists, go here. The winners will be announced in New York City on May 7.