From Richmond Magazine:

Shannon was selected by The James Beard Foundation out of more than 20,000 entries for this year’s restaurant and chef awards, and is one of 20 semifinalists in the Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic category. Over the course of the next month, the foundation’s Awards Committee will determine the category’s five finalists, and announce them on March 15 in San Francisco.Last year, Richmond semifinalists included chefs Lee Gregory (of The Roosevelt and Southbound), Peter Chang (of Peter Chang China Café) and Dale Reitzer (of Acacia Mid-town). Shannon is the only designated Richmond-area chef to garner a nomination this year; Peter Chang is nominated this year, but is listed as an Arlington, Virginia chef.

This is the chef’s first James Beard Award nomination, and it follows a big year of accolades for him, his staff and his Oregon Hill restaurant. Southern Living recently named L’Opossum one of the best restaurants in the South, and closer to home, L’Opossum — which opened in August of 2014 — took home the 2015 Elby Award for Best New Restaurant; L’Opossum’s Susan Worsham is currently nominated for the Elby’s Server of the Year award.