3 Tulsa Area Chefs Named Semifinalists For Prestigious Culinary Award

Three Tulsa area chefs are semifinalists for a James Beard award, which is one of the most prestigious culinary awards available.

Chefs at il seme, Natv, and Doctor Kustom are all in the running to be named a finalist and possibly a winner.

The chefs said they were shocked. They had no idea who submitted their names because they were all nominated anonymously.

They say Oklahoma’s food scene deserves this recognition.

Chef Jordan Hawley said he fell into cooking.

He needed a job after leaving college, and had a friend working at Hideaway Pizza.

"I consider myself to be an artistic person, and food ended up being a cool way to express that side," he said.

12 years later, he has worked in fine dining kitchens and is cooking up fresh pasta and all locally sourced ingredients at downtown Tulsa’s Italian restaurant il seme.

Chefs at FarmBar opened il seme as a pop-up restaurant to stay afloat after FarmBar caught fire.

Two years later, il seme is here to stay and expanding with more tables and a full bar soon, with Hawley leading the kitchen.

Now he's a James Beard Best Chef Southwest semifinalist; a complete surprise.

“It's such an honor," said Hawley. "There are so many people on the list before.”

Another nominee is Chef Jaqcue Siegfried who opened Natv in Broken Arrow to bring simple, delicious farm-to-table Native American food that she grew up cooking.

“It's more than a dream," said Alexandre Figueria. "It’s a dream come true.”

Alex Figueria is the chef behind Doctor Kustom, a fan favorite at Mother Road Market.

He and his wife Gi moved to Tulsa from Brazil in 2016, then opened a food truck before upgrading to the food hall.

He’s chopping up ingredients for a pastel: a classic fried Brazilian street food.

“After we realized on the list of the best chefs in the USA, it’s an honor," he said. "It’s a huge honor.”

Chef Alex said he and Gi put their heart into their food and the menu changes daily.

They know this nomination wouldn’t be possible without customers who believed in them.

Chef Jeff Chanchaleune from Ma Der Lao in Oklahoma city and Chef Tabb Singleton from Phat Tabbs BBQ in Idabel round out the list of Oklahoma nominees.

Committee members will be secretly visiting the restaurants in the next few weeks and judging to see who moves on to the finals in Chicago.