Jan. 25, 2024

Sanaa Abourezk once again is in the running for a James Beard Award.

The owner of Sanaa’s 8th Street Gourmet in downtown Sioux Falls has been recognized as one of 20 semifinalists in the category of best chef in the Midwest.

Last year, she was a semifinalist and then one of five finalists in the Midwest category, which offered her the opportunity to attend the award ceremony at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. In addition to South Dakota, the region includes Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, North Dakota, Wisconsin, Kansas and Missouri.

“I actually was very surprised but extremely happy,” she said of this year’s recognition.

This year, finalists will be announced April 3, and winners will be announced at a ceremony June 10 in Chicago.

The James Beard Foundation’s restaurant and chef awards — established in 1990 and first awarded in 1991 — are one of five recognition programs from the foundation. The 2024 restaurant and chef semifinalists are recognized across 22 categories.

Last year, chef Joseph Raney of Skogen Kitchen in Custer also made the list of semifinalists with Abourezk. Two years ago, Michael Haskett of M.B. Haskett Delicatessen was a semifinalist.

Abourezk, who was born in Syria, began her Mediterranean restaurant 20 years ago in the 8th & Railroad Center on East Eighth Street. She’s also the author of multiple cookbooks and organizes fundraisers every year for several charities, including Feeding South Dakota and for World Central Kitchen after natural disasters.

Her most recent effort — a Syrian breakfast held in December at the restaurant — raised $22,500 to help feed and provide shelter and medical care to Palestinian children in the war-torn Gaza Strip.

To see all the James Beard Award semifinalists, click here.