Lisa Ludwinski of Detroit’s Sister Pie is Among This Year’s James Beard Award Finalists

Lisa Ludwinski of Detroit’s Sister Pie has received a nomination for Outstanding Baker for this year’s 2020 James Beard Awards.

The pastry chef of the acclaimed pie shop, who has been nominated previously for the award, was the only Detroit restaurant or chef to receive a James Beard Award finalist nomination. Zingerman’s Roadhouse in nearby Ann Arbor, also a previous nominee, received a nod for Outstanding Hospitality.

As for the organization’s media awards, Ruffage by Michigan author Abra Berens received a nomination in the vegetable-focused cookbook category.

All nominees were announced in a livestream video on Twitter Monday evening. The full list of nominations across the country is here.

The finalists list is whittled down from a longer list of semi-finalist that saw more Detroit representation, such as Saffron De Twah, Eater Detroit’s 2019 Restaurant of the Year, for Best New Restaurant. Detroit was shut out of the category of Best Chef for the Great Lakes region, in spite of having half a dozen semi-finalists. Zehnder’s of Frankenmuth, a Michigan classic for fried chicken dinners, also received an America’s Classics Award back around when the semi-finalists were announced.

That list of semifinalists was released back in February, with the original plan to announce finalists in late March in Philadelphia, with the awards ceremony slated for today — all before the COVID-19 crisis intervened. Media awards will now be announced May 27, while the chef and restaurant winners will be revealed September 25.

Disclosure: Some Vox Media staff members are part of the voting body for the James Beard Awards.

• Here Are the 2020 James Beard Awards Restaurant, Chef, and Media Finalists [E]

• The 2020 James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards Postponed Until September [E]

• Saffron De Twah and Others Are Among Detroit’s James Beard Award Semifinalists

• All Previous James Beard Coverage [E]