2 Salt Lake City chefs named James Beard Awards finalists
This is the second year in a row where Mazza Cafe's chef has been a finalist in the category. Two Salt Lake City chefs, Ali Sabbah and Nick Zocco, have been named James Beard Awards finalists for best chef in the mountain region, which includes Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Utah and Wyoming. Other finalists include Brandon Cunningham from Social Haus in Montana, Matt Vawter from Rootstalk in Colorado, Penelope Wong from Yuan Wonton in Colorado. This is the second consecutive year that Sabbah has been named a finalist. The winners will be announced at an awards ceremony on June 10 in Chicago.
Published : 4 weeks ago by Kim Bojórquez in Tech
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Two Salt Lake City chefs on Wednesday were named James Beard Awards finalists. State of play: Mazza Cafe's Ali Sabbah and Urban Hill's Nick Zocco are finalists for best chef in the mountain region, which includes Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Utah and Wyoming.
• Other finalists are Brandon Cunningham from Social Haus in Montana; Matt Vawter from Rootstalk in Colorado; and Penelope Wong from Yuan Wonton in Colorado.
Why it matters: A James Beard award could elevate a chef's career or lure more foodies to Salt Lake City.
The intrigue: This is the second year in a row Sabbah has been named a finalist.
• His restaurant, which serves Middle Eastern cuisine, has been around since 2000.
Flashback: Urban Hill opened to much fanfare in Salt Lake City's growing Granary District in December 2022.
• Zocco previously told Axios he's proud of what he and his team have accomplished in a short amount of time.
• "I kind of just created something that I think is a little bit more diverse than what Salt Lake has seen over the past 10 years or so," he said in January.
Catch up quick: Six Salt Lake City restaurants and chefs were announced as semifinalists in January.
What's next: Winners will be announced at an awards ceremony on June 10 in Chicago.