Chef Paul Smith, the Gazette-Mail’s 2023 West Virginian of the Year, is shown in mid-December 2023 in his restaurant, 1010 Bridge, in the South Hills neighborhood of ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä.
Chef Paul Smith (standing) talks about menu updates with his staff at his restaurant, 1010 Bridge, in the South Hills neighborhood of ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä, on Wednesday, April 3, 2024.
Chef Paul Smith, the Gazette-Mail’s 2023 West Virginian of the Year, is shown in mid-December 2023 in his restaurant, 1010 Bridge, in the South Hills neighborhood of ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä.
KENNY KEMP | Gazette-Mail
Chef Paul Smith will return to Chicago again this year as a finalist in the prestigious James Beard culinary competition.
Smith, who is co-owner and executive chef of 1010 Bridge in South Hills, was named a finalist in the on Wednesday.
“I was actually on the phone with a fellow nominee, and I got an alert,†Smith said Wednesday, adding that his phone started “blowing up†almost immediately.
“I’m going to take both of our sous chefs this year,†he said, “because this is not just me; this is a team effort, from dishwasher to host.â€
Business as usual for Smith
By Wednesday afternoon, it was business as usual at 1010, where Smith gathered the staff for a taste test of the new spring menu — in retrospect, perhaps not the best day to make such a monumental switch, he chuckled.
Chef Paul Smith (standing) talks about menu updates with his staff at his restaurant, 1010 Bridge, in the South Hills neighborhood of ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä, on Wednesday, April 3, 2024.
CHRIS DORST | Gazette-Mail
Smith — who also is executive chef and co-owner at The Pitch Sports Bar & Grill in Dunbar and Ellen’s Ice Cream on Capitol Street, and a chef partner at Barkadas and The Humble Tomato in Lewisburg — was a finalist in the same category last year.
He was quick to point out that being a finalist one year doesn’t guarantee a spot in the future.
“It’s always stressful when you’re being judged and you’re in someone else’s hands,†he said.
