CHICAGO — An East African eatery in Detroit, longtime family owned Seattle pho shops and a Palestinian chef using ancient cooking techniques in Washington, D.C., are among the 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 a ceremony set for Monday in Chicago.
The nominees cover a diverse range of cuisine and chef experience, a recent shift following turbulent, pandemic-era years for the James Beard Foundation. The most-anticipated categories include awards for outstanding restaurateur, chef and restaurant.
Hamissi Mamba and Nadia Nijimbere, who fled Burundi about a decade ago and now own Baobab Fare in Detroit, are among five finalists in the outstanding restaurateur category. The couple faced a difficult road as refugees opening a business in the U.S.
Their restaurant's menu features kuku, pan-fried chicken in a tangy mustard-onion sauce that's served with fried plantains, stewed yellow beans and coconut rice.
''We inspire a lot of refugees — refugees who are coming to this country without hope and one day thinking that they can win this kind of title,'' Mamba said. ''It's a big deal for us, because we want to show people that this world can be equal.''
The James Beard Foundation has bestowed awards since 1991, except in 2020 and 2021 when the organization scrapped them as the restaurant industry was reeling from the COVID-19 pandemic. The foundation was also facing criticism over a lack of racial diversity and allegations about some nominees' behavior. Foundation officials vowed to improve ethical standards and be more ''reflective of the industry.''
Restaurants apply for the awards. Judges, who mostly remain anonymous, try the cuisine before voting. Nominees are reviewed for the food as well as for a behavioral ''code of ethics,'' including how employees are treated.