Timothy Hontzas of Johnny's Restaurant named James Beard Award finalist

Johnny’s Restaurant chef and owner Timothy Hontzas has been named a finalist for a James Beard award for the second year in a row.

Hontzas has made it to the semifinal round for the past six years and was a first-time finalist in 2022. Hontzas is a finalist in the “Best Chef: South” category.

The restaurant on 18th Street gives the traditional meat and three a “chef’s take,” Hontzas previously said. While the restaurant is not fully Greek, he does include keftedes, Greek meatballs, as well as skewers, called souvlaki.

The story began decades ago with Hontzas’ grandfather, Johnny, the namesake of the restaurant, who hopped on a cattle boat from Greece and came to America at the age of 17. With almost no money to his name, he turned to cooking as a way of life, opening his first restaurant at a railroad depot in McComb, Mississippi. Eventually, he opened Johnny’s in 1956 in a freestanding building next to his hotel, The Flamingo Inn, in Jackson, Mississippi.

Timothy Hontzas’ “papou,” which is Greek for grandfather, taught him a strong work ethic, as did his father, who also ran the family’s restaurants.

“You’ve got to want to make it in life, and you’ve got to want to work,” Timothy Hontzas said. “No one owes you anything.”

The James Beard Awards, considered to be among the nation’s most prestigious honors, recognize “exceptional talent in the culinary and food media industries, as well as a demonstrated commitment to racial and gender equity, community, sustainability, and a culture where all can thrive,” the organization said in a news release.

“This is a phenomenal list and I’m excited to see such great representation of the extraordinary work being done in our industry across the country — both in service and in excellence of craft. Congratulations to all for this much deserved achievement,” said Tanya Holland, chair of the James Beard Awards Committee and member of the James Beard Foundation Board of Trustees.

Winners will be celebrated at the James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards ceremony on Monday, June 5, at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.