Anthony J. Machcinski

amachcinski@ydr.com

A Hanover native bringing Pennsylvania Dutch delicacies to Nashville foodies is in the running for a prestigious national culinary award.

Andrew Little, chef at Josephine in Nashville, Tennessee, was nominated for the Best Chef award for the Southeast region on Feb. 15.

“It’s a great thing both me personally and for the restaurant,” Little said. “It’s an extension of us trying to get better every day and I am thankful that people would think of us to recognize us.”

Little, who moved to the South from Hanover in 2013, was a semi-finalist for the award in his first year of eligibility. The James Beard Foundation rules chefs moving between regions, like Little, have to wait three years before being eligible for the award.

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Little said he was in the shower getting ready to work when he found out the news.

“A bunch of people found out at the same time because they all texted me at once,” Little laughed. “I had no idea what was going on. I never get seven texts at once.”

Even being on the list of 20 semi-finalists has turned Little into a bit of an overnight celebrity.

“I pulled in yesterday and someone in the parking lot (that I didn’t know) just said congratulations,” Little said.

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Little’s culinary career starts from humble roots. He was a waiter at the Hanover Country Club before becoming a line cook at the restaurant. At Josephine, Little drew upon his roots for culinary inspiration.

“I think, for me, it just seems pretty simple,” Little said. “You grow up with a lot of those flavors in the same way a chef from France has that background, and you want to share them with people.”

He said scrapple has been “an overwhelming favorite,” and the restaurant has dabbled in hog maw. Despite the physical distance between the two, Little said the food culture in Nashville is similar to his Central Pa. roots.

“Where Nashville food is at right now, people have an interest in using all the animal,” Little said. “There’s a lot of great chefs cooking the whole animal (in Central Pa.)”

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Finalists for the award will be announced in March and the winner in April. Little said he wasn’t thinking about winning the award.

“If we were lucky enough to move into the finals, I’d just be happy for the whole team here,” Little said. “It would be great. Simply to even be on the semifinalist list in the first year, I think that’s really great and validating for all the people that work at the restaurant.”

Anthony J. Machcinski is the food reporter for the York Daily Record. Follow him on Facebook, @ChinskiTweets on Twitter or email him at amachcinski@ydr.com.