Alabama chef disqualified from prestigious James Beard Awards for ‘ethics violation’

Alabama chef Timothy Hontzas has been disqualified from a prestigious food award for allegedly yelling at customers and staff, as well as an incident that reportedly turned physical.

Hontzas was found to have violated the James Beard Foundation’s new code of ethics, which was introduced to promote social justice and inclusion at the organization.

Hontzas has been charged with a number of alleged incidents, including yelling at customers for leaving the door open, yelling that the ice machine wasn’t stocked, and yelling at kitchen staff, including one incident that allegedly turned physical.

The decision to disqualify Hontzas, 51, over the new code introduced in 2021 has sparked an uproar in the industry, leading to the resignation of a judge and a chef friend who smashed his own award in protest.

Hontzas, the owner and executive chef of Johnny’s Restaurant in Alabama, which offers inexpensive classic Southern fare like chicken pot pie or a 15-hour pot roast for $9.99, was disqualified by an independent committee reporting to the board of the James Beard Foundation .

John Currence, 58, was so outraged by the decision that he smashed his own Beard Award in protest

Hontzas told the Washington Post that he had a conversation with the Commission of Inquiry, but denies there was any physical incident, in fact he claims it was a member of his kitchen staff who “burst out on me, and my sous chef and another man walked him out,” Hontzas said.

“We all walked out and just talked it out, and then the guy worked for me for another year.”

Hontzas said no one touched the cook and they are still friends.

He acknowledges that he can be loud and doesn’t deny that he yells from time to time.

The code, published on the website of the foundation states that “conduct that could create an uncomfortable situation, such as inappropriate comments, jokes, harassment or physical contact, may constitute forms of workplace harassment” and will not be tolerated.

In a statement shared with DailyMail.com, the James Beard Foundation said, “We are evolving the Awards to strive for a better standard, centered in culinary excellence but broadened to equity, sustainability and conditions for all to thrive.”

“We are harnessing the power of the Awards to drive positive change by celebrating those who embody our values ​​and standard of excellence. The James Beard Foundation has invested significant time, resources and attention in establishing an independent ethics committee, a code of ethics and a robust ethics process.

“Our ethical process is designed to protect the integrity of the Awards and its mission, while being fair to those it chooses to celebrate. We are proud of this process and believe it reflects our values ​​and the Foundation’s overall mission.”

A close friend and fellow chef, John Currence, 58, was so outraged by the decision that he smashed his own Beard Award in protest of what he described as “skewed reasoning and false virtue signaling by the spineless, rudderless, mindless” organization .

Good Friends: John Currence and Timothy Hontzas have lived and worked together before

Currence defends Hontzas in Instagram posts: ‘He is an extremely dramatic, vocal, passionate Greek’

Hontzas denies that any physical altercation took place at his restaurant Johnny’s

“I’m sick today in a way I can’t even begin to explain, but it’s long gone to stop this cycle of insane guilt and shame through arbitrary accusations and NOTHING that approaches due process and people’s credit deprives that they deserve based on nothing but one’s opinion,” the chief said in the post.

‘He is an extraordinarily dramatic, vocal, passionate Greek. He epitomizes your crazy Greek cartoon character in every way possible,” Currence, executive chef and founder of City Grocery in Oxford, Mississippi, told The Washington Post.

“But he’s vocal,” added Currence, who was a mentor and previously lived with Hontzas.

“I’m not kidding when I say that 95 percent of his muscle mass is his diaphragm and his jaw muscles. I mean that’s what it is. It’s what makes him loved by everyone. He’s just loud.’

Currence argued that the Beard Awards have gone too far in their pursuit of diversity and inclusion, sometimes at the expense of deserving chefs.

Hontzas, the owner and executive chef of Johnny’s Restaurant in Alabama, which offers inexpensive classic Southern fare such as chicken pot pie or a 3-hour pot roast for $9.99

“Discipline comes in different forms, and just because it comes in a form that can somehow make you uncomfortable doesn’t mean it’s toxic,” Currence said. “There is no universal definition.”

In another Instagram post on Saturday, Currence wrote that Hontzas offered the “best answer in history” alongside a photo of the chef holding a mug that read “I’m not yelling, I’m Greek.”

Vishwesh Bhatt, head chef of Snack Bar in Oxford, also objected to the decision to disqualify Hontzas and resigned as a volunteer on the Beard regional judging panel for restaurants and chefs in the South.

“We’ve got this so confused, and we’re just not being transparent about what’s going on, that for people like me, am I on this committee just because I happen to be of Indian descent… or am I here because you want you actually my opinion and do I respect what I have to say?’ Bhatt told The Post.

“At this point, after all this came out, it felt like my views and my time, it seemed like no one really cared.”

Hontzas says that, contradicting the allegations, his staff remains loyal to him, with his sous chef having worked with him for eight years, two front-of-house employees for five and a dishwasher for more than two.