Alabama Chef Adam Evans Optimistic Despite Timothy Hontzas Disqualification

Birmingham chef Adam Evans showed his support for Johnny’s executive chef and owner Timothy Hontzas after he was disqualified as a finalist for the James Beard Award for best chef in the South. The James Beard Foundation said that, following an independent investigation, its ethics committee “found it more likely than not” that Hontzas had violated the foundation’s code of ethics. Hontzas has denied the allegations. Evans said he believes “something good will come out of it” for Hontzas, who is “too good of a guy, too hard of a worker, to not come out better on the other side.”