No 2025 James Beard Award Wins For MI Chef, Restaurant: Here's Who Nominees Were

MICHIGAN — The only Michigan finalist to make Monday’s James Beard Foundation Awards ceremony at the Lyric Opera in Chicago walked away empty-handed.

Jennifer Blakeslee and Eric Patterson of The Cooks' House in Traverse City were bested by chef Noah Sandoval of Oriole restaurant in Chicago's West Loop for the Best Chef: Great Lakes award.

It was the only award a Michigan chef or restaurant was nominated for this year. A broader list released in January named 10 Michigan chefs or restaurants as semifinalists.

The Cooks' House is a small restaurant in Traverse City that offers elevated cuisine based on the day's flavors, which are routinely changing. The restaurant also offers an a la carte menu of Michigan-centric dishes as well as 5- and 7-course tasting menus that start at $105 per person.

The awards, regarded as the Academy Awards of the U.S. restaurant industry, honor excellence across a range of categories, from fine dining to casual gems.

2025 is the 35th anniversary of the prestigious culinary awards that recognize eateries and chefs who create exceptional food, food media content, and better food systems, according to the James Beard Foundation. Awards also recognize a demonstrated commitment to racial and gender equity, community, sustainability, and a culture where all can thrive.

This year in celebration of the pivotal anniversary, the 2025 Restaurant and Chef Awards were presented across 25 categories, with an expanded focus on beverages, introducing three new categories: Best New Bar, Outstanding Professional in Beverage Service, and Outstanding Professional in Cocktail Service.

Other categories include outstanding restaurateur, outstanding chef, outstanding restaurant, emerging chef, best new restaurant, outstanding bakery, outstanding pastry chef or baker, outstanding hospitality, outstanding wine and other beverages program, outstanding bar and best chef.

Other Michigan restaurants and chefs that were named semifinalists earlier this year were:

Outstanding Restaurant

• Selden Standard, Detroit

Best New Restaurant

• Vecino, Detroit

Outstanding Bakery

• Secret Bakery, Ferndale

Outstanding Hospitality presented by American Airlines

• Baobab Fare, Detroit

Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program

• Spencer, Ann Arbor

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

• Javier Bardauil, Barda, Detroit
• Jennifer Blakeslee and Eric Patterson, The Cooks' House, Traverse City
• Missy Corey, Pennyroyal Cafe and Provisions, Saugatuck
• Ji Hye Kim, Miss Kim, Ann Arbor
• John Yelinek, Ladder 4 Wine Bar, Detroit