Michigan James Beard semifinalists include rising vegan chef and Dearborn staples

The semifinalists for the 2024 James Beard Awards were announced on Wednesday and, unsurprisingly, several metro Detroit chefs and restaurants made the cut.

Some familiar names who have been nominated in the past are alongside a few new nods this year.

Detroit’s Hamissi Mamba and Nadia Nijimbere of Baobab Fare made the list for the third year in a row, this time in the Outstanding Restaurateur category. They were previously named for the regional Best Chef, Great Lakes Region award which covers Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio. Ji Hye Kim of Ann Arbor’s Ji Hye Kim was shortlisted for Best Chef in the Great Lakes Region again this year.

Several Dearborn staples are also in the running including Shatila Bakery in the Outstanding Bakery category and AlTayeb, which is up for the Outstanding Hospitality award. AlTayeb co-owner and chef Ahmad Sanji was in the running for the Best Chef, Great Lakes category in 2022.

New on the list from Detroit is vegan chef Rocky Coronado of forthcoming Mexican Nepantla in the Emerging Chef category.

While several Michigan chefs and restaurants were nominated for a James Beard Award in 2023, none of them took home the gold in the end. The last time a Michigander won was in 2022 when Detroit chef Warda Bouguettaya of Warda Pâtisserie won for Outstanding Pastry Chef.

The final nominees will be revealed on Wednesday, April 3, and winners will be announced on Monday, June 10 at the James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards Ceremony in Chicago. The full list of Michigan semifinalists is below. The complete list is available at jamesbeard.org.

Baobab Fare 6568 Woodward Ave., Detroit; 313-265-3093; baobabfare.com Burundi immigrants Hamissi Mamba and Nadia Nijimbere opened Baobab Fare to bring East African cuisine, coffee, and fresh juices to Detroit. Their signature dish is Nyumbani, a slow-simmered beef dish served with fried plantains, peanut-stewed spinach, and coconut rice. Along with their Waka food truck and Soko African culture brand, owners are preparing to open a second Baobab location on the city’s east side. Credit: Courtesy photo

Outstanding Restaurateur

Hamissi Mamba and Nadia Nijimbere, Baobab Fare, Detroit (baobabfare.com)

Outstanding Restaurant

Selden Standard, Detroit (seldenstandard.com)

Emerging Chef

Rocky Coronado, Nepantla, Detroit (nepantladetroit.com)

Best New Restaurant

Alpino, Detroit (alpinodetroit.com)

Outstanding Bakery

Shatila Bakery, Dearborn (shop.shatila.com)

Outstanding Hospitality

AlTayeb Restaurant, Dearborn (altayeb-restaurant.business.site)

Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program

Folk, Detroit (folkdetroit.com)
Spencer, Ann Arbor (spencerannarbor.com)

Best Chef: Great Lakes (IL, IN, MI, OH)

Doug Hewitt, Freya, Detroit (freyadetroit.com)
Ji Hye Kim, Miss Kim, Ann Arbor (misskimannarbor.com)
Dan Klenotic, Bellflower, Ypsilanti (bellflowerypsi.com)
Hajime Sato, Sozai, Clawson (sozairestaurant.com)
John Yelinek, Ladder 4 Wine Bar, Detroit (ladder4winebar.com)

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This article appears in Jan 24-30, 2024.