James Beard Awards: See How Detroit's Restaurants Fared

Six restaurants and chefs in the Greater Detroit area, as well as a restaurant in Ann Arbor, are semifinalists in the 2018 James Beard Foundation Awards — dubbed the Oscars for restaurants. The awards across 21 categories for national and regional chef and restaurant awards were released Thursday.

Categories include best new restaurant, best chef, outstanding baker and outstanding service, among others.

Detroit foodies probably already know these names, but for the rest of us, here are the semifinalists from Michigan:

• New Restaurant: Lady of the House in Detroit
• Outstanding Baker: Lisa Ludwinski in Sister Pie
• Outstand Bar: Standby in Detroit
• Outstanding Service: Zingerman’s Delicatessen in Ann Arbor
• Rising Star Chef: Lena Sareini, Selden Standard in Detroit
• Best Chef: Thomas Lents, Chef’s Table at Detroit Foundation Hotel, Detroit; and James Rigato, Mabel Grey, Hazel Park

The foundation holds an online open call for entries every year. A committee reviews thousands of entries to come up with a nominating ballot of semifinalists in each category.

An independent volunteer panel of more than 600 judges — comprised of top regional restaurant critics, food and wine editors, culinary educators, and past winners — then votes on specific award categories to determine the final five nominees in each category.

They then vote on these five nominees to select the winners.

The foundation will announce the final nominees on the morning of March 14 at Parc in Philadelphia. The event will be live-streamed.

The winners will be announced at Pier Sixty at Chelsea Piers in New York City on April 27. They’ll receive a certificate and a medallion engraved with the James Beard Foundation Awards insignia. There are no cash prizes.

Click here to see the full list of awards.

Photo credit: Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images for #Culinary Kickoff