Alabama chef is disqualified from prestigious James Beard Awards for 'violating ethics'

Alabama chef Timothy Hontzas has been disqualified from a prestigious food awards for allegedly shouting at customers and staff as well as an incident that reportedly became physical. 

Hontzas was found to have breached the James Beard Foundation's new ethics code, brought in to push social justice and inclusion at the organization. 

Hontzas has been accused of a number of alleged incidents including yelling at customers for leaving the door open, shouting about the ice machine not being filled and shouting at kitchen staff including one incident which reportedly became physical.

The decision to disqualify Hontzas, 51, over the new code introduced in 2021, has caused a ruckus in the industry leading to one judge resigning and a chef friend smashing up his own award in protest. 

Hontzas, the owner and executive chef of Johnny's Restaurant in Alabama, which offers inexpensive classic southern food such as chicken pot pie or a 15-hour pot roast for $9.99, was disqualified by an independent committee that reports to the board of the James Beard Foundation.

Timothy Hontzas has been disqualified from a prestigious food awards for allegedly shouting at customers and staff as well as an incident that reportedly became physical

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

Hontzas told the Washington Post that he had a conversation with the investigation committee but denies that there was a physical incident, in fact, he claims that it was a member of his kitchen staff that 'flipped out on me, and my sous chef and another guy walked him outside,' Hontzas said. 

'We all walked out there and just talked it out, and then the guy still worked for me for another year.'

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

He acknowledges that he can be loud, and does not deny shouting on occasion.

The code, publicized on the foundation's website states that 'conduct that may create an uncomfortable situation, such as inappropriate comments, jokes, intimidation, or physical contact, may be 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 push for a better standard, centered in culinary excellence but broadened to include equity, sustainability and conditions where all can thrive.'

'We are harnessing the power of the Awards to drive positive change by celebrating those whom embody our values and standard of excellence. The James Beard Foundation has invested significant time, resources, and consideration into creating an independent Ethics Committee, a Code of Ethics, and a robust ethics process. 

'Our ethics process was created to protect the integrity of the Awards and its mission, while being fair to those it seeks to celebrate. We are proud of this process and believe it reflects our values and the overall mission of the Foundation.'

A good friend and fellow chef, John Currence, 58, was so incensed by the decision that he smashed his own Beard Award in protest at what he described as 'skewed reasoning and fake virtue-signaling by the spineless, rudderless, consciousnessless' organization.

Close friends: John Currence and Timothy Hontzas have previously lived and worked together

Currence has been defending Hontzas in Instagram posts: 'He is an extraordinarily dramatic, vocal, passionate Greek'  

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

'I am sickened today in a way I can’t even begin to explain, but it is way past time to stop this cycle of insane blame and shame through arbitrary accusations and NOTHING approaching due-process and stripping people of credit they deserve based on nothing other than the opinion of one,' the chef said in the post.

'He is an extraordinarily dramatic, vocal, passionate Greek. He embodies your nutty Greek cartoon character in every possible way,' Currence, chef and founder of City Grocery in Oxford, Mississippi, told The Washington Post. 

'But he’s vocal,' Currence, who mentored and previously lived with Hontzas, added.  

'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 is what endears him to 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 food such as chicken pot pie or a 15-hour pot roast for $9.99

'Discipline comes in different forms, and just because it comes in a form that might make you in some way, shape or form uncomfortable, it doesn’t mean that it’s toxic,' Currence said. 'There is no universal definition.'

In a further Instagram post on Saturday Currence wrote that Hontzas was offering the 'best retort in history' alongside a photo of the chef clutching a mug that reads 'I'm not yelling, I'm Greek'. 

Vishwesh Bhatt, chef at Snackbar in Oxford, also objected to the decision to disqualify Hontzas and resigned as a volunteer on the Beard regional judges panel for restaurants and chefs in the South.

'We’ve got this so muddled, and we’re just not being transparent about what’s going on, that for folks like me, am I on this committee just because I happen to be of Indian origin … or am I on here because you actually want my opinion and 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 didn’t seem like anybody really cared for those.'

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