Birmingham Chef Is James Beard Award Semifinalist

BIRMINGHAM, MI — Nick Janutol, the executive chef at Birmingham’s Forest Grill, is a Great Lakes area semifinalist for best chef n the James Beard Foundation’s 2017 Restaurant and Chef Awards. They semifinalists, announced Wednesday, wee selected from more than 24,000 online entries in 21 categories.

Also among the semifinalists are Katoi, a Southeast Asia-inspired restaurant in Corktown for the Best New Restaurant award presented by True Refrigeration; Lisa Ludwinski of Sister Pie, a Detroit bakery featuring seasonal pies and cookies, for Outstanding Baker award; and Standby, a Detroit eatery offering creative cocktails, for the Outstanding Bar Program award.

The finalists will be announced March 15, and the winners will be named May 1 at the James Beard Foundation Awards Gala at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.

Tell Us: Have you eaten or sampled a cocktail at any of these establishments? Leave a review in the comments.

Founded in 1986, the James Beard Foundation celebrates, nurtures, and honors chefs and other leaders making America's food culture more delicious, diverse, and sustainable for everyone. A cookbook author and teacher with an encyclopedic knowledge about food, the late James Beard was a champion of American cuisine.

Photo by John Mettraux via Flickr Commons