Chicago — An East African restaurant in Detroit, a longtime family-owned Seattle pho shop and a Palestinian chef using ancient cooking techniques in Washington, D.C. are among dozens of finalists for this year’s prestigious James Beard Awards.
The culinary world’s equivalent of the Oscars will recognize restaurants and chefs in 22 categories at Monday’s ceremony in Chicago.
The nominees cover a variety of culinary and chef experiences that the James Beard Foundation has recently transformed following the turbulent pandemic era. The most anticipated categories include awards for outstanding restaurateurs, chefs and restaurants.
Hamissi Mamba and Nadia Nijimbere, who left Burundi about 10 years ago and now own Baobab Fare in Detroit, are among the five finalists in the Outstanding Restaurateur category. The couple faced a difficult road as refugees starting a business in the United States.
The restaurant’s menu features kuku, pan-fried chicken served in a tangy mustard-onion sauce with fried plantains, stewed yellow beans and coconut rice.
“We are an inspiration to many refugees. These are refugees who come to this country with no hope and think that one day they will get this title,” Mamba said. “This is a big deal for us because we want to show people that this world can be equal.”
The James Beard Foundation has been giving out awards since 1991, with the exception of 2020 and 2021 as the restaurant industry reels from the COVID-19 pandemic and experiences criticism over a lack of racial diversity and allegations about the behavior of some candidates. come. Foundation officials pledged to improve ethical standards and “be more reflective of the industry.”
Restaurants apply for awards. The judges, who are mostly anonymous, taste the dishes before voting. Candidates are reviewed not only for their food but also for their “code of ethics” of conduct, which includes treatment of employees.
“We’re looking at the whole board,” said Tanya Holland, chair of the awards committee.
For restaurants, just being a finalist can provide widespread awareness and boost business. Paul Freedman, a Yale University professor with expertise in food history, said that as restaurant awards have become less common in recent years, the James Beard Awards have become more important.
“This is about generating interest in a restaurant that might not be as well known outside of the area,” he said.
The Seattle family credited with bringing the first pho joint to the city in the 1980s is also a finalist for Outstanding Restaurateurs, who operates three pho restaurants and a chicken and rice joint called The Boat.
Yenvy Pham, who opened her first restaurant after her parents immigrated from Vietnam, calls a bowl of pho with beef bone broth and anise-and-clove flavor “a sure thing.” They make their soup fresh 24 hours a day.
“It’s really wild.” She said. “I am truly honored.”
Other restaurateur finalists are Chris Viaud, who owns three restaurants in New Hampshire, Hollis Wells Silverman of Eastern Point Collective, who owns several restaurants in Washington, D.C., and Erika and Kelly Whitaker, who own a restaurant in Boulder, Colorado.
Some of the finalists have already received accolades, including Michael Rafidi, whose restaurant Albi in Washington D.C. was awarded a Michelin star in 2022. He is one of five finalists in the Outstanding Chef category.
Albi, which means “my heart” in Arabic, pays homage to Rafidi’s Palestinian roots by using old-world food preparation techniques. All dishes are cooked over charcoal, including sfeeha, a grape leaf and meat pie stuffed with lamb.
“I have a mission to continue spreading light and cooking Palestinian food,” he said.
Another finalist for Outstanding Chief is David Uygur, who runs a small Italian restaurant in Dallas. Lucia serves fresh house-made pasta and popular pickle boards. The menu changes seasonally.
Uighur, whose father is Turkish, became interested in Italian food out of love. His high school sweetheart and current wife loved Italian cuisine. He sought intimacy in his restaurant, which has only nine tables.
“I wanted to create a restaurant that felt like someone was coming to eat in my home,” he said. “I was hoping to have guests come to my house.”
Other outstanding chef finalists include Sarah Minnick of Lovely’s Fifty Fifty in Portland, Oregon, Dean Neff of Seabird in Wilmington, North Carolina, and Renee Touponce of The Port of Call in Mystic, Connecticut.
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Associated Press writer Mike Householder in Detroit contributed to this article.
