Jay Blackinton of Hogstone Wood Oven has been nominated for Rising Star of the Year by the James Beard Foundation.

Blackinton told a Crosscut reporter that the nomination has been really overwhelming. “I’ve been getting a lot of congratulations, which is really nice, but it felt like, ‘How is it that we deserve this?’” he said. “We’re rookies.”

To leanr more about the award, visit www.jamesbeard.org.