KYU Becomes James Beard Semifinalist on First Birthday

MIAMI — The staff of Wynwood's hot new restaurant KYU was already in a celebratory mood on Wednesday when they got word that the they had been selected as a semifinalist in the prestigious James Beard Foundation's category of Best New Restaurant.

"We're speechless," General Manager Steven Haigh told Patch on Wednesday. "We never really expected this. It's really cool."

If that news wasn't sweet enough, the announcement from New York came as the staff was already celebrating KYU's first birthday on Wednesday.

Other Miami area semifinalists include Zak Stern of Zak the Baker who is a semifinalist in the Outstanding Baker category, Bradley Kilgore of Alter in the category of Rising Star Chef of the Year and Deme Lomas of Niu Kitchen in the category of Best Chef: South.

This year marks the 27th annual James Beard Foundation Awards with some 24,000 restaurants and chefs vying for one of the coveted awards from across the United States in 21 categories.

Finalists will be announced March 15 in Los Angeles. Nominations will also be announced live via the foundation's Facebook Live video feed at facebook.com/beardfoundation and in real time on Twitter at twitter.com/beardfoundation.

KYU's menu by chef Michael Lewis can be described as central Texas meets Asian barbecue. The achievements of all three Wynwood restaurants that earned semifinalist status are particularly noteworthy given the difficult period the area experienced as a result of Zika concerns.

Winners of the 2017 James Beard Media Awards will be announced on April 25 at an event honoring the nation's top cookbook authors, culinary broadcast producers and hosts as well as food journalists at New York's Pier Sixty in Chelsea Piers.

Winners of the remaining awards will be announced at the James Beard Foundation Awards Gala at the Lyric Opera of Chicago on May 1. During that event, which is open to the public, awards for the Restaurant and Chef and Restaurant Design categories will be handed out, along with special achievement awards Humanitarian of the Year, Lifetime Achievement, Design Icon, Who’s Who of Food and Beverage in America, and America’s Classics. A gala reception will immediately follow, featuring top chefs and beverage professionals from across the country.

KYU is located at 251 NW 25th St. in Wynwood, while Zak the Baker is located at 405 NW 26th St. in Wynwood. Alter is located at 223 NW 23rd Street in Wynwood and Niu Kitchen is located at 134 NE 2nd Avenue in Miami.

Photo courtesy of KYU