A Bermudian restaurateur living in the US has been nominated for an internationally acclaimed hospitality award.

Taurean Philpott was one of 20 people put forward for the James Beard Award for Outstanding Professional in Beverage Service for his restaurant Avize.

Mr Philpott, who opened the Atlanta-based restaurant in October 2024, said the award was “the food and beverage equivalent of the Grammys”.

He added: “It's humbling. I grew up in Devil’s Hole for half of my life, so just thinking about where I came from and coming out here and being in this big pool of restaurants is a lot.

“Having people that I’ve never met from across the country reach out and congratulate me has been humbling.

“I’ve been taking it in my stride, but sometimes it’s kind of hard to fathom.”

Mr Philpott, who has been living in the US since 2004, said he learnt about his semi-finalist status at the end of January and was the only person in his category this year to be nominated from Georgia.

He said his restaurant will be examined next month by a panel of judges, who will determine whether or not he will be a finalist.

If he is confirmed as a finalist, Mr Philpott said, he will head to a ceremony at Symphony Hall in Chicago on June 15 where the winners will be crowned.

The sommelier said that, although the award is primarily based in the US, it is recognised and acclaimed around the world.

He added: “It’s on par with the Michelin Guide. It’s certainly nail-biting.”

Avize, according to Mr Philpott, specialises in seasonal and locally sourced ingredients, while adopting a flavour profile from the European Alpine region.

He explained that the area blended French and Italian styles and uses wine, mushrooms, fish, wild game and plants.

He added that the Alps region is famous for its wine and food pairings, as well as its general influence on the fine dining world — all of which he aimed to showcase at Avize.

Mr Philpott said: “It gives us this great basket of ingredients that, through different cultures, we pull from as we’re inspired to make the food here.

“At its core, it’s seasonal farm-to-table dining. We work almost exclusively with local purveyors.”

Avize placed in the Top 50 restaurants in the US by The New York Times, Top 20 restaurants in the US by Bon Appétit and was even put on the Michelin Guide, making it a must-see establishment without winning a Michelin Star.

Mr Philpott said it had been “a very humbling year” when it came to the accolades aimed at the restaurant.

He added: “I’ve always had a great deal of confidence in myself and my ability, but being recognised at that level is humbling and amazing.

“It shows that other peers see what I’m doing and think highly of me as well.”

Mr Philpott said he first got into the industry in 2008 after taking a summer job at Café Lido at the Elbow Beach Resort in Paget.

He explained that he was in architecture school at the time, but developed a fascination with the culinary arts and eventually “caught the bug”.

“I loved the passion of the people I was working with, I loved the fast paced nature and I found out I had a natural knack for hospitality and talking to people. It kind of went from there.”

Mr Philpott has worked in three restaurants awarded Michelin Stars — given to establishments known for delivering consistently high quality dishes.

He said that a “once in a lifetime” trip to a winery in Oregon sparked the idea for Avize, which came to life about five years later.

Mr Philpott said that, ultimately, he wanted to use his platform to represent Bermuda and create a space for mentorship for other minorities in his field.