All-star chefs gather for sold-out James Beard dinner in Tampa

Chad Johnson, chef of SideBern's and a James Beard semifinalist, has unveiled six compelling reasons to blow your New Year's diet. The first reason involves big-eye tuna and the last is capped off with a pistachio chocolate macaroon. Johnson will host the Tampa Bay area's most esteemed chefs in a first-ever all-star Special Friends of James Beard Benefit Dinner on Feb. 24 to raise money for the Bern Laxer Scholarship. He will be joined by fellow Beard semifinalists Greg Baker (The Refinery in Tampa) and Zack Gross (Z Grille in St. Petersburg), as well as Habteab Hamde and Kim Yelvington (of Bern's), Marty Blitz (Tampa's Mise en Place), Tyson Grant (St. Petersburg's Parkshore Grill) and BT Nguyen (owner of Restaurant BT in Tampa) for the six-course seated meal. The event sold out soon after it was announced. For information, call (813) 250-9463. SideBern's is located at 1002 S Howard Ave., Tampa.