The Cooks' House Traverse City Named James Beard Award Finalist

A single Michigan restaurant is in the running for one of the biggest culinary honors in the country.

The James Beard Awards is celebrating its 35th anniversary in 2025, continuing to recognize exceptional talent and achievement in the food world.

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Back in January, 10 Michigan restaurants were announced as James Beard award semifinalists. Now, just one Michigan restaurant with a pair of chefs is up for a prestigious award.

The 2025 James Beard Restaurant and Chef Award Nominees have been revealed.

The Cooks' House via Facebook

Chefs Jennifer Blakeslee and Eric Patterson of The Cooks' House in Traverse City are competing for best chefs in the Great Lakes Region.

Traverse City is one of my favorite places! In all my visits there, I must have driven by The Cooks' House multiple times without even knowing it was there. That's gotta change! I'm now adding it to my list of restaurants to hit up in TC.

Looking at photos of the restaurant, I can see why I might have missed it. The 26-seat eatery is nestled into a small building on Wellington Street that I honestly thought was somebody's home!

The Cooks' House via Facebook

The Cooks' House is focused on farm-to-fork cuisine and highlighting locally grown and foraged foods.

Patterson and Blakeslee worked together in Las Vegas, cooking in Michelin-starred kitchens. It was their the pair hatched the plan to return to Blakeslee's native Traverse City and open The Cooks' House.

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Above and below are some of the dishes you can expect at The Cooks' House: Walleye, jester berry gastrique, yogurt cucumbers with dill, fried eggplant.

New York strip with parsnip purée, roasted apples, and creamy kale:

The Cooks' House via Facebook

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In addition to year-round dinner service, The Cooks' House also offers cooking classes that explore regional cuisines and seasonal cooking from local farmers markets.

The James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards ceremony will happen in Chicago on June 16 and be broadcast live on Eater.

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