2 Salt Lake City chefs named James Beard Awards finalists

• Other finalists are Brandon Cunningham from Social Haus in Montana; Matt Vawter from Rootstalk in Colorado; and Penelope Wong from Yuan Wonton in Colorado.

Why it matters: A James Beard award could elevate a chef's career or lure more foodies to Salt Lake City.

The intrigue: This is the second year in a row Sabbah has been named a finalist.

• His restaurant, which serves Middle Eastern cuisine, has been around since 2000.

Flashback: Urban Hill opened to much fanfare in Salt Lake City's growing Granary District in December 2022.

• Zocco previously told Axios he's proud of what he and his team have accomplished in a short amount of time.
• "I kind of just created something that I think is a little bit more diverse than what Salt Lake has seen over the past 10 years or so," he said in January.

Catch up quick: Six Salt Lake City restaurants and chefs were announced as semifinalists in January.

What's next: Winners will be announced at an awards ceremony on June 10 in Chicago.