Sanaa Abouresk reacts to being nominated for a prestigious culinary award

SIOUX FALLS, SD (Dakota News Now) – Two South Dakota chefs have been announced as semifinalists for the 2023 James Beard Awards.

Both Sanaa Abouresk of Mediterranean Gourmet in Sana’a in Sioux Falls and Joseph Rainey of Skogen Kitchen in Custer were named in the Best Chef category for the Midwest region.

The James Beard Foundation is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to celebrate, support, and elevate the people behind America’s food culture.

We caught up with Saana to find out what this nomination means to her.

“It means the world to my clients, because I’m nominated for this award. People gave me six months, they said, “People in South Dakota would never eat this food,” and 19 years later, we proved them wrong. We proved everyone wrong,” Aboresk said.

The winners of the restaurant and chef award will be announced on June 5, 2023.

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