Automatic Seafood & Oysters in Birmingham is one of 10 finalists for the James Beard Foundation’s “Best New Restaurant” award.

The foundation defines the category as “A restaurant opened in 2019 that already demonstrates excellence in cuisine and hospitality, and that is likely to make a significant impact in years to come.”

A James Beard awards is one of the most discussed American recognitions that any participant in the American restaurant industry can receive. Many call it the food industry equivalent to the Oscars.

Each year, a specially selected committee from the James Beard Foundation goes through thousands of entries in each category to determine the finalists and winners.

The 2020 winners will be announced on Friday, September 25.

Automatic Seafood was founded in April 2019 and is located in the Lakeview neighborhood of Birmingham.

The eatery’s two founders are a husband and wife team of Chef Adam Evans and designer Suzanne Humphries Evans.

The establishment is inside a building previously occupied by the Automatic Sprinkler Corporation’s manufacturing facility.

As an ode to their building’s previous tenant, the restaurant was named Automatic Seafood.

Both founders are Alabama natives; Adam Evans is from Muscle Shoals and Suzanne Humpries Evans is from Arab.

The couple both moved out of state around their college years, but came back home in 2017 to start a restaurant together.

Henry Thornton is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can contact him by email: henry@new-yhn.local or on Twitter @HenryThornton95