Gwinnett Chef Nominated For James Beard Award

DULUTH, GA — A Gwinnett County chef is among the semi-finalists for one of the food industry's most prestigious awards.

Ri Liu, of Masterpiece in Duluth, was named one of 20 chefs in the running for the James Beard Award for Best Chef: Southeast.

The coveted Beard Awards' 2017 semi-finalists were announced on Wednesday.

Liu was one of several Atlanta-area chefs nominated in his category. Other included Billy Allin of Cakes & Ale in Decatur, Kevin Gillespie of Gunshow, Steven Satterfield of Miller Union and Ryan Smith of Staplehouse — all in Atlanta.

A native of Harbin in northeast China, Liu opened Masterpiece in an unassuming strip mall on Buford Highway in 2015.

The restaurant has consistently been named among Atlanta's best since then. It serves Sichuan style Chinese food, with flavors of the Hunan and Harbin provinces.

"Chef Liu Ri's range is his greatest talent," Creative Loafing wrote in August 2015. "He spins masterful webs of spice, lightness, and decadence with a respect for balance.

"What sets Liu Ri apart from his Atlanta Sichuan contemporaries is how softly his Sichuan dishes sizzle. Not all of the food here is spicy, but when it is, it burns with purpose. Sichuan food can be less forgiving to the constitution and practically sadistic to ingest. Liu Ri's brand of cooking is more refined and infinitely gentler the morning after."

Photo via Masterpiece Facebook page