Lansing, MI — Michigan’s food scene continues to catapult itself into the national culinary spotlight. Six chefs and restaurateurs from across the state were nominated as semifinalists for the 2026 James Beard Awards. Spanning across three different categories, our state is vying for awards in Best New Restaurant, Best New Bar, and Best Chef for the Great Lakes region.
The James Beard Foundation, a nonprofit supporting America’s food culture, hosts an annual award ceremony recognizing exceptional talent in culinary arts and hospitality. The James Beard Awards are among the highest accolades a chef or restaurant can achieve, next to a Michelin star.
Representing our state this year are several great establishments and chefs for their respective categories:
- Best New Restaurant: Echelon Kitchen & Bar, Ann Arbor
- Best New Bar: Bar Chenin, Detroit
- Best Chef (Great Lakes region): Javier Bardauil, BARDA, Detroit
- Best Chef (Great Lakes region): Andy Elliott and Emily Stewart, Modern Bird, Traverse City
- Best Chef (Great Lakes region): James Galbraith, PostBoy, New Buffalo
- Best Chef (Great Lakes region): John Yelinek, Ladder 4 Wine Bar, Detroit
The finalists for these awards will be announced by the James Beard Foundation on March 31st, with the winners being honored at the awards ceremony in Chicago on June 15th. And while we’ve yet to see who will ultimately take home their respective awards, I thought it prudent for my 100th post to recognize and honor our state’s semifinalists this year! For a full list of semifinalists for this year’s James Beard Awards, click here.
Our state has been gaining traction at the James Beard Awards in recent years, with more restaurants, chefs, bakeries, and bars being recognized for their hard work and dedication to their craft. It speaks volumes to Michigan’s culinary renaissance, which highlights our state’s vast and diverse agriculture, as well as our ability to retain and attract talent that used to have to venture to other states and major cities for more renowned kitchens and experience.
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I spoke with Kelly Wolgamott, Vice President of Pure Michigan, to discuss what these nominations mean for Michigan and our growing food scene on the national stage.
“This is an incredible recognition at a national level to have prestigious award nominees for six really exceptional chefs and restaurateurs from across the state. And you’ll notice that the semifinalists come from different areas of the state; it’s not just concentrated in one area. So it really does showcase Michigan as a world-class culinary destination backed by our state’s vast agricultural diversity, and really, the talent from a culinary standpoint that we have in the state,” Kelly stated.
Michigan has been known nationally for regional iconic foods like coney dogs, Detroit-style pizza, Mackinac Island fudge, and Upper Peninsula pasties, but chefs around Michigan have been branching out over the years and getting creative with the abundance of produce and local resources at their disposal. This has led to more elevated dining establishments, cultural cuisine, and diverse food experiences across the state for Michiganders and tourists alike.
Kelly explained to me how our agricultural advantage and influx of talent in recent years have contributed to Michigan’s increased recognition in the restaurant and kitchen sectors.
“Now, we have regionally this culinary talent that is extremely innovative. And they’re choosing to come to Michigan and to locate in these incredible communities across the state that are incredible tourism destinations as well, and really enlivening and embracing the regional opportunities. Traverse City, with the National Cherry Festival, is in its hundredth year. They’ve been celebrating cherries in all kinds of ways for a century, which is incredible, and, you know, I think that regional diversity really does showcase the incredible agricultural opportunities we have throughout the state. It’s not just concentrated in one area. We not only have that fresh produce, we have over 300 commodities that we grow, but also the access to some incredible farms across the state as well,” Kelly said.
I followed up by asking Kelly how this national recognition has impacted Michigan’s tourism and if the state has seen an increased interest from visitors in our state’s gastronomy.
“Having these nominations at a national level for these restaurants and chefs is incredible for travel and tourism. We all love to eat when we travel, and we want to experience that connection with our family and friends. That’s when we’re breaking bread together, right? We’re at an incredible restaurant in a destination, and that is truly a highlight when it comes to travel and tourism because we all are seeking that experience, and Michigan really does provide unique travel experiences when it comes to culinary that you’re not going to find anywhere else,” Kelly explained. “We have the incredible natural beauty of our state, and on top of that, now with the culinary expansion throughout the two peninsulas, we’re also seeing some incredible chefs located in the Upper Peninsula that are really bringing an incredible travel experience for people that come from near and far. So it’s an incredible opportunity for travelers to experience our cuisine throughout the state.”
For more information about Pure Michigan and the various foodie adventures to be had across the state, click here.
I’ve noticed numerous restaurants in recent years really embracing the farm-to-table approach and leaning into Michigan’s lush abundance of fresh produce. According to the Michigan Farm Bureau, Michigan happens to be one of the top states in the nation when it comes to diverse agriculture production — in second place, only behind California! With a state so rich in resources, our chefs and establishments really get to work with some of the best and freshest produce to elevate their dishes and provide the best quality possible to their patrons.
Michigan’s award nominee for Best New Restaurant, Echelon Kitchen & Bar in Ann Arbor, caught my eye as a great representative of this movement. The restaurant, which just celebrated its official one year in business several weeks ago, sits right along S. Main Street, just south of W. Huron Street. This unique eatery focuses on wood-fired cooking and being vegetable-forward. In fact, one of their most ordered and popular (and visually stunning) menu items that gets ordered is the Cabbage (see for yourself). So I decided to venture out to Echelon as part of this adventure to learn more about their culinary philosophies.
I coordinated a visit through their public relations team to meet with and interview Echelon’s Executive Chef Joe VanWagner. Joe greeted me at the door and guided me inside along with their Bar Director, Max Schikora, who had arrived for work about the same time I had finished taking my exterior photos and footage. Joe gave me a brief tour and explained Echelon’s dual kitchens as he got the wood-fired ovens roaring for the day, albeit slightly on the earlier side than usual, so that I could gather more b-roll — a very kind gesture!
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As Joe prepared the live-fire station and began his prep work for the day, I wandered about the dining floor to gather more content and to capture the professional rhythm of a morning shift in full prep mode. Echelon’s staff worked diligently in a nearly silent synchronization of a team operating like a well-oiled machine. Each station worked like clockwork on their respective tasks, from dicing and preparing vegetables to the dessert station, where a newer staff member was learning a dough-rolling technique. I was eventually led downstairs, where I also got a sneak peek of Echelon’s new tiki bar underneath the establishment, Huna!
Interiors of Echelon and its new tiki bar Huna
After checking out the ambiance of Echelon, I circled back to Chef Joe, who was preparing some cabbage in order to demonstrate his wood-fire oven in the corner of the side kitchen. After witnessing the power of the char, I sat down with Joe over a cup of coffee to discuss what it meant to have Echelon nominated for a James Beard Award, his refined vegetable-first approach, and the restaurant’s focus on sourcing from dozens of local farms to fuel the menu.
It turns out, Joe grew up in the southwest corner of Michigan, a part of the state’s “fruit belt” of farms along the Lower Peninsula’s west side. Growing up around bountiful farms and land to hunt and fish, Joe says he developed an appreciation for farms and the products they produce. After college, Joe worked at a two-star Michelin restaurant, where he eventually worked his way into the kitchen, sharpening his skills and expanding his culinary knowledge. When he decided to come back to Michigan, Echelon emerged as his next culinary step.
“Echelon came about as the inspiration of our two founding partners, who wanted to bring something different to the community. They wanted to really celebrate Michigan-grown ingredients. They had seen some restaurants in the area that were farm-to-table, trying to push for Michigan-grown and produced ingredients, and they saw a big opportunity for that. They also wanted to bring an elevated experience to Ann Arbor, so that was the genesis of this space. And, I think what came out of it for all of us afterwards has been more beautiful and more impactful than we ever thought,” said Joe.
I asked Joe how he and his team reacted upon learning they were a James Beard Award semifinalist for Best New Restaurant.
“It’s a huge privilege to be represented among so many amazing restaurants and chefs. We see it as a huge responsibility too. We were surprised when we got the nod and super excited, but now it’s like, okay, now we’re going to represent small-town Michigan, we’re going to represent the Midwest, we’re going to represent Ann Arbor, we’re going to represent Michigan. So we see it as a big responsibility, and we’re excited to do it, super honored. And it’s extremely gratifying,” Joe explained. “I think, for the team, this is the most important thing. The team is always the most important thing, and it means what we’re doing is working; it means all the dedication, all the hard work is being recognized. Not just in our community, but nationally.”
I followed up by inquiring about Echelon’s vegetable-forward approach, combining Michigan’s fresh produce with fine-dining presentation and meticulous culinary technique.
“We committed from day one to being a Michigan-first restaurant, to try to put as many Michigan-produced ingredients on the menu. We’ve succeeded in that. I think that poses some interesting challenges for sourcing, receiving orders, maintaining farm relationships, so on and so forth, but we were able to tackle that challenge, I think, with a lot of grace and success, so that’s been awesome. I think we’ve learned that investing in the community works,” Joe said.
There are many restaurants with similar philosophies scattered around Michigan, with more continuing to embrace fresher and more sensible local opportunities when it comes to ingredients and produce. According to the most recent data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, as of 2024, Michigan has around 44,000 farms statewide growing products on about 9.4 million acres of land. Between all of those farms, more than 300 different commodities are produced every year. This gives chefs and restaurateurs a massive range of selections for their kitchens and cuisines, growing right here in our backyard.
This diverse plethora of options is very alluring for chefs looking to enhance their menus and make their dishes pop in freshness and vibrance, all while supporting a local economy. Something Chef Joe and I discussed at length was seeing more and more up-and-coming chefs choosing to stay in Michigan because of our culinary opportunities versus leaving to rise in the kitchen ranks in cities like Chicago, New York, or Los Angeles. There are even some who are choosing to relocate and set up shop in Michigan because of our agricultural advantage and how much our food scene has taken off. Which leads me to Best Chef semifinalists: Andy Elliott and Emily Stewart, who are the Chefs/Owners/husband and wife duo behind Modern Bird in Traverse City.
Traverse City has become quite the foodie destination in recent years as the largest and fastest growing city for the region commonly referred to as “Up North,” despite still being in the Lower Peninsula of Michigan. Sitting at the base of a large, divided bay of Lake Michigan, this popular northern tourist town has grown exponentially in the last five years or so, with more folks from either downstate or across the country moving to live or work in the city.
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I usually visit Traverse City a couple of times throughout the year to visit family in the area or for the occasional golf trip with friends. One of my favorite things to do around Traverse City when I have the time is to walk the downtown area to see what’s new or changed, which usually includes trying a new restaurant. One TC establishment, Modern Bird, is now proudly representing northern Michigan as a James Beard Award semifinalist.
The restaurant sits at the southeast corner of W. Front Street and S. Maple Street, on the western edge of downtown Traverse City. Similar to Echelon, Modern Bird really capitalizes on the abundance of local farms and farmers’ markets to utilize the freshest produce available to create some lavishly curated dishes. As you can see from the two examples above, Chefs Andy and Emily are true artisans of their craft. So I reached out to the duo to learn more about their respective journeys and what led these two Chicago-based chefs who worked at Michelin-starred restaurants to pack up their bags to share their talents with Traverse City.
Andy and Emily both went to culinary school in Chicago and met over 15 years ago at a Michelin-starred restaurant called Boka. Emily said they spent their 20s learning and growing at various kitchens across Chicago, but eventually decided to relocate to Emily’s original home: Michigan! While the pair dated, they’d periodically visit Emily’s family, sometimes traveling Up North to the Traverse City area, a place with meaningful memories connected to Emily’s childhood growing up in the Mitten state. When Andy and Emily felt like it was time to leave Chicago, they told me over Zoom that only one place stood out: Traverse City.
“It’s a great food community, just a wonderful place to live. So when we thought about leaving the city, this was kind of the only spot we would have considered leaving for, honestly,” Emily said.
“At the end of the day, it’s just a really nice place to live, and we both cook for a living, so we’re not really geographically bound anywhere. And this is where we wanted to be, so that’s where we are,” added Andy.
I asked Andy, once the pair got to Traverse City, what some of their goals were, and what led to the concept for Modern Bird.
“Our big goal moving up here is that we wanted to go into business for ourselves, but we didn’t really know at the time kind of what form or fashion that would take, just because we hadn’t lived here. And I think it’s super important, when you’re moving to a new place, entering a new market, you kind of learn what people need and want before you dive head-on into something like that,” Andy said. “From working in the farmers’ market, we knew coming up here that the produce is really good. We got to see a lot of that and built some relationships with farmers. And we just kind of wanted to create the place that we wanted to go out to eat in Traverse City and kind of let all that local produce be the guide for whatever’s on the menu at any given point.”
I followed up by asking Emily what it was like leaving behind the hustle and bustle of Chicago and its high-level dining, bringing their seasoned experience and expertise to Traverse City’s growing food scene.
“It’s exciting because when we decided to move to Michigan from Chicago, like eight years ago now, you know, it was not something that we knew anyone had done before. And it’s exciting to see people being able to do that now and enjoy it. I’m biased, but I think we’re the best state. Very proud!” Emily stated. “And it’s nice to have more people who see that and can recognize that. I mean, as Andy was saying, the produce, the farming, all of that here is incredibly special. And I don’t even think growing up here, I was even totally aware of that and how special it is here.”
“Even in Chicago, you go to the Green City Market and Lincoln Park on Saturday morning, and Michigan is really, really well represented there because the produce is so good. I think it’s nice that there are places in Michigan now that are focusing on Michigan, because it is such a special place,” Andy said.
I want to thank Kelly, Chef Joe, Andy, and Emily for all speaking with me and contributing to this special 100th foodie adventure. I think I can safely speak for all foodies and Michiganders in congratulating all of our state’s James Beard Award semifinalists and wish them all the best of luck in taking home awards at this year’s ceremony.
They are all remarkable chefs and restaurateurs who honor our state by representing our vibrant food scene, while highlighting our hardworking farmers and the powerhouse that is our agriculture industry. As our state grows in the number of chefs and business owners earning accolades and awards, expect even more success stories and new places to try in the future, inspired and nurtured by those who came before them. Because at this rate, between Michigan’s food scene, growing culinary talent, and agriculture industry, the sky really is the limit — and the place to be if you’re a foodie!
For more information about the 2026 James Beard Awards, or to see when the finalists and winners will be announced, click here.
MI Foodie Adventures 