Cleveland chef nominated for James Beard Award

CLEVELAND - Jonathon Sawyer, the chef and owner of The Greenhouse Tavern in downtown Cleveland, has been nominated as a semifinalist for the 2012 James Beard Awards , which is often referred to as "the Oscars of food."

Sawyer is one of 20 semifinalists in the “Best Chef: Great Lakes” category. Overall, a record 57,000 online entries were submitted this year. They’ve narrowed it down to 400 semifinalists in 20 restaurant and chef categories.

The foundation will announce the five finalists in each category, as determined by more than 550 volunteer judges from across the country, on March 19. The winners will be announced May 7 at the annual awards ceremony.

It’s no secret: Sawyer is a big believer in the farm to plate movement. According to The Greenhouse Tavern’s website, “Sawyer collaborated with The Green Restaurant Association to become the first certified green restaurant in Ohio. The Greenhouse Tavern will follow green principles of organic and environmentally friendly ingredients while using recyclables and highly developed methods of composting, sourcing alternate energy, and focusing on conservation practices.”

"This is one of the biggest events of the year for us, and we as cooks, look forward to it every year," said Greenhouse Tavern pastry chef Matt Danko. "There is nothing but excitement at The Tavern. This is a great thing to be a part of, for the city's sake too."

Sawyer has been nominated for the award four times. This news comes soon after he competed on Food Network's "Iron Chef: America." In 2007, Sawyer appeared as sous chef for his then-mentor and employer Michael Symon, helping him to victory and the Iron Chef title.

"It's a big deal any time someone from the city gets nominated. We would be excited if anyone from the area was up for this award," Danko said.

Sawyer also owns Japanese-inspired Noodlecat on Euclid Avenue.