The 2023 James Beard Awards semifinalists have been announced and more than a dozen restaurants and chefs from Michigan made the list.
Nominees will be announced on March 29 and winners will be honored at the James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards Ceremony on June 5, 2023, at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.
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The James Beard Foundation’s Restaurant and Chef Awards are one of five separate recognition programs. The 2023 Restaurant and Chef semifinalists are recognized across 23 categories, including the new Award for Outstanding Bakery.
The list below only features the restaurants, bakeries and chefs from Michigan who were named in the semifinalists list. You can click here to view the full list.
Outstanding Restaurateur
- Restaurateur Sandy Levine made the semifinalists list with restaurants Freya in Detroit, Chartreuse Kitchen & Cocktails in Detroit and The Oakland in Ferndale.
Outstanding Chef
- Chef Hajime Sato of Sozai in Clawson made the list of semifinalists in the outstanding chef category.
Emerging Chef Presented by S.Pellegrino® Sparkling Natural Mineral Water
- Chef Amado Lopez of Casa Amado Taqueria in Berkley made the list of semifinalists in the emerging chef category.
Outstanding Bakery
- Good Cakes and Bakes in Detroit made the list of semifinalists in the outstanding bakery category.
Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program
- Spencer in Ann Arbor made the list of semifinalists in the outstanding wine and other beverages program category.
Best Chefs Presented by Capital One
The best chefs presented by Capital One category is by region. Michigan is in the Great Lakes region and Michigan chefs are up against others in Illinois, Indiana and Ohio.
- Omar Anani of Saffron De Twah in Detroit
- Abra Berens of Granor Farm in Three Oaks
- Norberto Garita of El Barzon in Detroit
- Andy Hollyday of Selden Standard in Detroit
- Ji Hye Kim of Miss Kim in Ann Arbor
- Hamissi Mamba and Nadia Nijimbere of Baobab Fare in Detroit
- Michael Ransom of Ima Izakaya in Detroit
- Sarah Welch of Marrow in Detroit