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A Salt Lake City bar has been named as a nominee — essentially, a finalist — for the prestigious James Beards Awards, which celebrate the best in the food and beverage world. The James Beard Foundation announced Wednesday that Water Witch , at 163 W. 900 South in the Central Ninth neighborhood, made it to the nominee list.
It’s up against fellow nominees Kumiko in Chicago, Scotch Lodge in Portland, Oregon, The Lovers Bar at Friday Saturday Sunday in Philadelphia and Wolf Tree in White River Junction, Vermont. In 2022, Water Witch was a semifinalist for Outstanding Bar Program, and in 2024, chef David Chon at Bar Nohm, Water Witch’s sister bar, was nominated for Best Chef in the Mountain region . (Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) The cozy Water Witch nuzzles up next to Bar Nohm offering patrons a pass through doorway or patio bypass in Salt Lake City, on Thursday, July 13, 2023.
Three other semifinalists from Utah didn’t make it to the nominee list, including Lavanya Mahate, owner of the Saffron Valley Indian restaurants; Adalberto Diaz, co-owner, founder and executive chef of the bakery Fillings & Emulsions ; and small-plates Greek restaurant Manoli’s . Five Utah chefs were included this year among the 20 regional semifinalists in the Best Chef: Mountain category, which covers Utah, Colorado, Idaho, Montana and Wyoming: • Mike Blocher and Nick Fahs, Table X , 1457 E. 3350 South, Salt Lake City.
• Andrew Fuller, Oquirrh , 368 E. 100 South, Salt Lake City. He was nominated in the same category in 2023 .
• Matthew Harris, tupelo Park City , 1500 Kearns Blvd., Park City. • Nick Zocco, Urban Hill , 510 S.
300 West, suite 100, Salt Lake City. In 2024, Zocco was named as a finalist in the same category . The winners of the awards will announced at the James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards ceremony on June 16 in Chicago.
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