A San Juan chef is now one of 20 semi-finalists for the James Beard Foundation Award.

George Watts III is the head chef at GW's Barbecue in San Juan. It's the only Rio Grande Valley restaurant that made the semi-final list.

The prestigious award honors those in the culinary field.

Watts says he's grateful for all the recognition he's already receiving from both customers and friends. This comes as the restaurant gets ready to celebrate its five-year anniversary.

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"I know there are a lot of chefs they dream about this their whole career, and it doesn't happen so, I'm extremely humbled and honored to happen in such a short time," Watts said. "Everybody that is in the food industry knows how big it is, and I'm extremely blessed to have the team that we do and without them, this wouldn't have been possible."

The finalists for the award will be announced this spring.