The Cooks' House chefs and co-owners Jen Blakeslee and Eric Patterson have made the cut of five finalists for the "Best Chef" category in the Great Lakes region for the 2025 James Beard Awards, one of the top culinary awards in the country. The Traverse City duo are the only Michigan nominees to make the finalists list this year.

Blakeslee and Patterson, who run their farm-to-table restaurant on Wellington Street in Traverse City, were previously announced in the "Best Chef" category in the Great Lakes region, which covers Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois. Several other Michigan chefs made the semifinalists list, including Javier Bardauil of Barda in Detroit, Missy Corey of Pennyroyal Cafe and Provisions in Saugatuck, Ji Hye Kim of Miss Kim in Ann Arbor, and John Yelinek of Ladder 4 Wine Bar in Detroit.

However, Blakeslee and Patterson are the only Michigan chefs to make the cut of five finalists announced this week. The list includes:

Jennifer Blakeslee and Eric Patterson, The Cooks' House, Traverse City, MI
Thai Dang, HaiSous, Chicago, IL
David Jackman, Wildweed, Cincinnati, OH
Chris Jung and Erling Wu-Bower, Maxwells Trading, Chicago, IL
Noah Sandoval, Oriole, Chicago, IL

The James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards ceremony will take place on Monday, June 16 at the Lyric Opera in Chicago.