2024 James Beard Awards

Chef Avishar Barua is a Columbus native and graduate of The Ohio State University where he earned degrees in biology and psychology. Although he planned to follow in his father’s footsteps and become a doctor, his true passion was cooking. He made his mark on Columbus’ culinary scene while serving as executive chef at Service Bar. In April 2021 he stepped into the national spotlight by appearing as a contestant on Bravo’s Top Chefseason 18 in Portland. He opened his first restaurant in Columbus, Joya’s, in September 2022. The Bengali American daytime café is named after his mother, who taught him how to cook. The restaurant quickly gained notoriety for its creative menu. In the spring of 2023, he also appeared on “Beat Bobby Flay”, where he was victorious against the Iron Chef. Six months after opening Joya’s in Old Worthington, he opened his second concept, Agni. Located in Columbus’ Brewery District, the restaurant is named after the Hindu god of fire, and the six-course tasting menu is centered around live-fire cooking. 

Originally on track to become a doctor, you could say Chef Avishar Barua was always destined for a career as a servant leader. Graduating from The Ohio State University with a dual degree in biology and psychology, Avishar calls knowledge within those disciplines “required reading” for all restaurateurs, as they helped lay the foundation for how to best understand and serve the community around him — and helped him learn to become an empathetic listener.

Much like a physician, Avishar believes his role as a chef is simple: To make people feel good and to take away pain (especially the kind we might not see). And that begins with his staff. Avishar created a “no questions asked” policy around time off and unexpected staff departures, insisting that staff be intentional if/when they’re feeling down so as to keep the restaurant a safe space for others’ joy. Avishar also sees every win and loss for his staff and restaurant as collective so each person feels linked to the hard work, successes and failures of the group. This empathetic approach to his staff’s well-being mirrors his approach to food, which he calls the ultimate connector with the capacity to create understanding between seemingly distant people and cultures.

FYR Short North opened in October 2022 adjacent to Hilton Columbus Downtown as part of the hotel’s second tower expansion. FYR Short North represents the metaphorical hearth of downtown Columbus with the centerpiece of the kitchen being a wood-fired grill led by renowned chef Sebastián La Rocca. The use of fire & smoke is incorporated into every dish to bring the historical ritual of cooking over an open flame tableside. Fire touches everything at the restaurant, forging a bond between incredible flavors and the local ingredients used to create them. FYR Short North reignites our connection to the most primitive use of flame – enjoying togetherness around the hearth.

Community and integrity are two of the James Beard Foundation values that FYR Short North aligns with. At FYR Short North, sustainability and local partnerships with farmers and artisans is a focus. The wood for their live fire grill is procured from Artic Hardwood in Kingston, Ohio. Their beef is sourced from a fourth-generation farm, RL Valley in Guysville, Ohio, which also uses spent grain from a local brewery to support sustainability. Much of their other produce is from Hershberger Amish Farms in Millersburg, Ohio, who allows them to handpick the highest quality ingredients. Their bread is delivered fresh from Buckeye Bread within 24 hours of baking. At FYR Short North, supporting local farms is at the heart of bringing the best possible ingredients tableside.

The family-owned Somali restaurant Hoyo’s Kitchen has been serving Columbus since 2014. Credited with introducing Columbus to African food, Abdilahi Hassan and his brother, Mohamed Hassan, feature their mother’s recipes (“Hoyo” means mother in Somali) on their fast-casual style menu, which includes bowls, wraps and salads with signature Somali proteins like goat, beef suqaar, chicken suqaar and safari chicken. Hoyo’s was recognized by Eater as the top restaurant in Columbus – no small feat, considering the lack of awareness of Somali cuisine and the city’s formidable competition. Abdilahi describes Somali food as “fusion before the word fusion was invented,” meaning that customers can taste East African, Middle Eastern, Indian and even Italian influences in Hoyo’s dishes. The Hasan brothers’ ultimate goal? For Somali food to one day be synonymous with Columbus – and American – culture. 

Hoyo’s Kitchen is family-owned and operated, but not just in the biological sense. Each staff member is treated like an extension of owners Abdilahi and Mohamed Hassan’s family, and they take an empathetic approach to managing their staff, understanding that “life happens” often. They’re proud to employ a number of working moms, too, and seek to set the restaurant industry standard for a low turnover, employee-centric working environment.

Since its opening in 2014, customers have been able to taste the passion the Hassan family has for bridging cultures with Somali food in each of Hoyo’s dishes. Their success can be attributed to the “breath of fresh air” approach that the Hoyo’s team infuses into the restaurant experience – it’s a welcoming, casual environment featuring a menu with simple, high-quality ingredients and large portions that don’t break the bank. They never want a customer to walk away feeling shorted or unwelcome, and owner Abdilahi Hassan cites the conversations and experiences with passionate, loyal customers as the fuel that keeps the business going. 

Cameron Mitchell is the founder and CEO of Cameron Mitchell Restaurants (CMR), which celebrated 30 years of business in 2023. 

Cameron began his career in the restaurant industry more than 40 years ago as a dishwasher when he was in high school. He later decided to make the restaurant business his life’s work, and in October 1993, Cameron Mitchell Restaurants began with the launch of Cameron’s, an American Bistro in Columbus. Today, CMR has 49 locations under 21 concepts, in addition to Cameron Mitchell Premier Events and Budd Dairy Food Hall. The company’s national brand, Ocean Prime, has 20 locations in 15 states plus the District of Columbia.

In 2019, Cameron published his book Yes is the Answer! What is the Question? which made Forbes’ list of 12 Best Business Memoirs of all Time.

Cameron also is a respected national advocate for the restaurant industry. He has been featured in restaurant trade magazines, HuffPost, the Wall Street Journal, People, and shows on CNN, CNBC, Fox Business News and more.

Cameron is committed to the community he calls home. He led the capital campaign for the Columbus State Community College Foundation, donating more than $10 million to support the development of Mitchell Hall, a hospitality management and culinary arts school. 

Cameron Mitchell created these foundational pillars which defines the company’s culture:

Who are we? We are Great People Delivering Genuine Hospitality

Why are we in business? To continue to thrive, driven by our cultural and fiscal responsibilities.

What do we want to be? An extraordinary restaurant company.

What is your role? To make “Raving Fans” of our Associates, Guests, purveyors, partners and the communities in which we do business.

What is our common goal? To be better today than we were yesterday, and better tomorrow than we are today.

What is Our Pledge? Our WHOLE Commitment is to create a diverse, inclusive and equitable environment where all are valued, welcomed, heard, and supported.

Cameron’s leadership in Columbus State Community College’s School of Hospitality Management & Culinary Arts instilled a people-first philosophy, made a culinary degree more accessible, raised $10 million for the school, and associates donated tens of thousands of hours to open the school.

CMR operates 49 restaurants nationwide; 25 located in Columbus, where many associates attended CSCC. “I did this to give back to the industry,” Mitchell says. “I felt I could make a bigger impact in Columbus. I wanted to create a facility that could access 80 percent of a 4-year education with 80% less cost.”

Chef Sebastián La Rocca is a renowned Argentine chef with Italian roots and a nomadic heart, currently ranked by the Miami Times as one of the 50 most influential Latin chefs in the world, among many other accolades. He moved to Columbus in 2022 to serve as Executive Chefs of the new restaurants that opened with the Hilton Columbus downtown expansion in the fall of 2022. Sebastián leads FYR, the hotel’s signature live fire, chef-driven restaurant; Spark, their elevated lounge; and Stories on High, the hotel’s upscale rooftop lounge that provides contemporary and classic interpretations of cocktails and small plates. He is also the Chef/Owner of the Eat Gastro Group which includes four distinct restaurants in Costa Rica including Botaniko, a live fire restaurant. In 2021, Botaniko was ranked 50 Best Discovery by S Pellegrino.

More information coming soon!