A month after being named a Chicago-area semifinalist for the 2022 James Beard Foundation Awards, the Black- and queer-owned spot Nobody's Darling has been named a finalist for Outstanding Bar Program.
Nobody's Darling will compete against Alley Twenty Six, from Durham, North Carolina; Attaboy, in Nashville; barmini by Jose Andres, in Washington, D.C.; and Houston's Julep to receive the country's top honor in that category.
However, Nobody's Darling is far from Chicago's only nominee. Nominations also went to Giant's Jason Vincent (Outstanding Chef); Parachute (Outstanding Restaurant); Kasama (Best New Restaurant); Justice of the Pies' Maya-Camille Broussard (Outstanding Baker); and Lula Cafe's Jason Hammel, Oriole's Noah Sandoval, Smyth's John Shields and Karen Urie Shields, and Virtue Restaurant & Bar's Erick Williams (Best Chef-Great Lakes).
In addition, Urban Growers Collective Co-Founder/CEO of Operations Erika Allen will be featured as a winner of a James Beard Foundation Leadership Award. She is co-founder and CEO of operations for Urban Growers Collective, a Black- and women-led nonprofit farm in Chicago working to build a more just and equitable local food system; and co-owner of Green Era Sustainability Partners, a nonprofit that aims to create more sustainable communities by supporting local food production through better management of biodegradable waste and access to soil.
Allen and four others will be honored at an invite-only ceremony in Chicago on Sunday, June 12, and recognized on stage at the Restaurant and Chef Awards ceremony on Monday, June 13, at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.
Tickets for the 31st annual James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards (taking place Monday, June 13, at the Lyric) go on sale Monday, March 21; visit www.jamesbeard.org/awards/events.