2022 James Beard Award Semifinalist: Lakewood Chef Makes Cut

LAKEWOOD, OH — In the rush of running a restaurant, and being alive, in 2022, Salt's Jill Vedaa had forgotten. It wasn't until a friend texted her and said, "Congratulations!" that Jill knew something had happened.

What had happened was this: Vedaa had again reached semifinalist status in the prestigious James Beard Awards. She was nominated for Best Chef in the Great Lakes region, a category that will see her compete with chefs from restaurants in Chicago, Detroit, and Indianapolis.

"It's not something that I was prepared for," she told Patch. "I'm extremely happy. It's a really amazing honor. It's important and amazing to be seen by your peers and to be able to represent Cleveland. It's awesome."

Vedaa and Salt+ are the only Greater Cleveland chef/restaurants to be nominated in the Great Lakes category.

This is the third time Vedaa has been nominated. She emphasized how thrilling achieving semifinalist status is — "If I get to the finals, that's great. If I do get there, I would be super excited about that, but it really is a huge honor to just be nominated."

For those looking to try Salt+ or revisit their delicious offerings, Vedaa recommends securing a reservation. She said the restaurant is "very busy." Hours and information on reservations can be found on the restaurant's website.

The James Beard Foundation on Wednesday announced semifinalists for its selfsame award.

"Winners will be celebrated at the James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards ceremony on Monday, June 13, 2022, at the Lyric Opera of Chicago," the semifinal's announcement states.

See the full list of James Beard semifinalists here.