The Preacher’s Son in downtown Bentonville a James Beard Award finalist

by Paul Gatling ([email protected]) 3,337 views 

The James Beard Foundation announced the finalists for its coveted annual awards Wednesday (March 14) and a downtown Bentonville restaurant was among the nominees for design.

The Preacher’s Son, a project of Walton-backed Ropeswing Hospitality Group in Bentonville, is one of three finalists in the “76 seats and over” division of the Outstanding Restaurant Design category.

FÖDA Studio (Austin, Texas) and Shears Adkins Rockmore (Denver) are the design firms who led the project. Jett Butler, Stephanie Leung, Katie Cavallo, and Chip Chambers represent those firms.

The restaurant at 201 N.W. A St. opened in 2016 in a renovated 20th century church.

The James Beard Awards are the food industry’s highest honor, and are often referred to as the Oscars of the industry. The awards are presented in a three-part process, and the James Beard Foundation previously announced the 2018 semifinalists on Feb. 15. The list included Matthew McClure, executive chef of The Hive in downtown Bentonville, who was named a James Beard semifinalist for Best Chef: South for the fifth consecutive year.

Winners will be honored at the James Beard Foundation Awards gala on May 7 at Chicago’s Lyric Opera.

Look through the full list of nominees at this link.