MS Coast chef with trendy farm-to-table restaurant scores James Beard nomination
A Mississippi Gulf Coast chef and restaurant owner has been nominated for one of the top food honors in the U.S.
Alex Perry, who owns Vestige in downtown Ocean Springs, is a semi-finalist for Best Chef: South in the 2022 James Beard Awards.
Perry was nominated for a James Beard Award in 2019 and will face off against chefs from New Orleans, Miami and other big cities across the South.
The Best Chef: South category includes chefs from Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama, Florida, Arkansas and Puerto Rico.
Vestige is an upscale Modern American restaurant that serves farm-to-table and seasonal dishes. It opened in 2013 next to the previous Lovelace Drugstore on Washington Avenue.
Perry is a Le Cordon Bleu College graduate, and Sun Herald food critic Julian Brunt said he was inspired by celebrity Chef Thomas Keller and his famous French Laundry Restaurant in California.
Vestige is open for in-person dining with limited seating, and reservations are strongly recommended. To reserve a table, call 228-818-9699.
Here’s the full list of nominees for Best Chef: South in the 2022 James Beard Awards:
Blake Aguillard and Trey Smith, Saint-Germain, New Orleans
Michael Beltran, Ariete, Coconut Grove, FL
Valerie, Nando, and Fernando Chang, Itamae, Miami
Clay Conley, Buccan, Palm Beach, FL
Adam Evans, Automatic Seafood and Oysters, Birmingham, AL
Jeremy Ford, Stubborn Seed, Miami
Hao Gong, LUVI Restaurant, New Orleans
Francis Guzmán, Vianda, San Juan, PR
Timothy Hontzas, Johnny’s Restaurant, Homewood, AL
Melissa M. Martin, Mosquito Supper Club, New Orleans
