CINCINNATI — Jeffrey Harris didn’t move to Cincinnati with dreams of becoming a chef. But now, only a few years later, his celebrated New Orleans-inspired restaurant is on the cusp of winning one of the biggest prizes in the food and beverage industry.

Harris is the chef and owner of Nolia Kitchen, an elevated Southern cuisine spot in Cincinnati’s bustling Over-the-Rhine neighborhood. The almost-year-old eatery is one of 10 finalists for the James Beard Foundation’s coveted Outstanding New Restaurant award for 2023.

Nolia Kitchen opened in 2022. It serves elevated New Orleans and Southern-style food. (Photo courtesy of Nolia Kitchen)

Nolia Kitchen is one of four Ohio-based chefs or businesses in the finals, including three from Cincinnati. Jose Salazar’s downtown Spanish-inspired, small plate restaurant, Mita’s, is up for Outstanding Restaurant. Elaine Uykimpang Bentz of East Walnut Hills-based Cafe Mochiko earned a nomination for Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker for the second straight year.

EDWINS Leadership and Restaurant Institute founder Brandon Chrostowski of Cleveland is up for Outstanding Restaurateur.

“Honestly, this is everything I ever wanted,” said Harris, a native of New Orleans. He opened his Clay Street eatery on April 19 of last year.

Reservations and ticket sales have doubled since Nolia Kitchen earned a semifinal nomination in January, Harris said. Those numbers have jumped even higher since the restaurant made it to the shortlist of finalists on March 29.

He doesn’t plan to change Nolia Kitchen’s hours or staffing to accommodate the larger crowds. And don’t expect any changes to the award-winning menu offerings, either. Guests can expect to see favorites like the eggplant etouffee’ and the pecan flounder for a long time.

“Definitely not,” Harris said. “As a chef, these are all the headaches you want to have.”

“I dreamed of getting to James Beard level, but I never thought I’d be in this realm so soon,” he added. “To me, this says that all the hard work and sacrificing over the last year has paid off. It’s just a great feeling that people have taken notice and appreciate what we’re trying to do.”

Harris sang the praises of his entire team of 12 people who work side-by-side every Tuesday through Saturday. He specifically mentioned his sous chef, Korry Wolf, who he affectionally calls “Chef Korr.”

“She’s the best right hand I’ve had so far,” Harris said. “You wouldn’t be writing about Nolia Kitchen if it weren’t for her and all my team.”

Bringing global flavors to the Queen City

Harris moved to Cincinnati in 2005 after Hurricane Katrina. He wasn’t thinking about becoming a chef or opening a restaurant. His focus then was on getting back home. But because of some “unforeseen circumstances with life,” he stuck around — and ended up landing jobs in some of the top kitchens in the city.

His first cooking job was at Orchids at Palm Court, working under chef Todd Kelly. Then he became a sous chef, running the catering department at the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden. In 2011, he went to work at the Cincinnatian hotel, which is where he met Salazar.

Mita's, a finalist for Outstanding Restaurant, serves Spanish-inspired dishes, including paella. (Photo courtesy of Mita's)

Harris helped open Salazar’s eponymous eatery in OTR.

Few people are as proud of Harris as Salazar, who called his cooking buddy a “talented chef but an even nicer person.”

“He’s so humble and genuine, and that shows through in his food,” Salazar said of Harris. “I know how caring he and his wife Heather are. I don’t think this could have happened to a nicer couple. They truly are worthy of every bit of accolade and press that comes their way.”

Seeing Harris' success made Salazar happier than seeing his own restaurant named one of the five best restaurants in the United States, he said. But the Colombia-born, New York City-raised Salazar has a lot to be proud of. He has six James Beard nominations in his 14 years in Cincinnati. This is his first national Outstanding Restaurant nod.

“It means a lot, especially for my team and the city,” said Salazar, who also owns Goose and Elder in OTR. “My staff works so hard to give each table a special experience and it’s great to see them getting the recognition they deserve.”

Since the nomination, Mita’s has seen a 20% to 25% jump in business, Salazar said. The restaurant is known for its impressive wine list, an assortment of Spanish hams and cheeses, and dishes such as paella valenciana.

Being nominated is an honor, Salazar said, but it also brings a new level of pressure. He and his team have always strived to give every guest the best experience possible, but making the Beard Award attention has raised expectations, Salazar said.

“Now we, too, feel the need to elevate the expectations of ourselves,” he added.

Great food is everywhere, including right around the corner

Uykimpang Bentz is no stranger to expectations. The pastry chef saw her restaurant, Cafe Mochiko, earn a place on Bon Appetit Magazine’s list of the 50 Best New Restaurants in the country in 2022. She earned her first James Beard nomination that same year.

She plans to attend the James Beard Foundation awards ceremony in Chicago this June.

“I try not to think about it don’t I try not to think about it in such a grand scale,” Uykimpang Bentz said with a chuckle. “But honestly, any recognition I’m so grateful for.”

“It’s validating,” she added. “Our whole team works so hard here every day, so it’s nice to see that other people recognize that and appreciate it.”

Uykimpang Bentz co-owns Cafe Mochiko with her husband, Erik Bentz, who’s also a chef.  The Asian American restaurant has served coffee, pastries, and Yōshoku cafe fare for the past two years. The 40-seat space operates as a bakery Thursday through Sunday during the day before offering dinner service later in the day.

The ube halaya croissant is one of the most popular items at Cafe Mochiko. The eatery has received national praise since opening two years ago. (Photo courtesy of Cafe Mochiko)

The bakery is best known for its ube halaya croissant filled with purple yam jam and sweet yam cream. It’s a take on a dessert popular in the Philippines.

“We’ve met a lot of people in the last few weeks that have come here for the first time who didn’t know about us until hearing about the Beard Awards,” Uykimpang Bentz said. “We’re a small restaurant in like a pretty small neighborhood, so being able to bring in new people is really nice to see.”

The added attention has led several customers — some first-timers, some long-timers — to ask about plans to expand or open another location.

“Our goal is to just get better at what we do,” she added. “I mean, yeah, there’s that additional pressure, but it’s a good pressure. It’s nothing we can handle.”

One of the emotions Uykimpang Bentz felt most about the James Beard Foundation nomination is pride. In her team and her cooking, of course, but also in her adopted hometown in southwest Ohio.

Uykimpang Bentz met in 2015 in Napa, California. Erik is working at The French Laundry and Elaine at Meadowood Napa Valley. After venturing to Chicago for a bit, the couple moved back to Cincinnati, where Bentz grew up.

Before opening their café, the wife-husband kitchen team ran a series of ramen pop-ups and pastry pop-ups over the course of two years.

“It’s nice to have so many other talented chefs in Cincinnati getting their dues,” she said. “In previous years, we’ve only had like one nominee or semifinalist. This year we have three, so it’s nice that we’re getting a little attention.”

Harris feels Cincinnati is in the middle of a food revolution. When he first got to Ohio, a lot of restaurants were doing more traditional menus, Harris said. That’s why the more imaginative chefs worked at hotels or corporate settings.

“There wasn’t a lot of originality,” he added.

Things started to change about a decade ago when the city started to see more chef-driven or owned restaurants, Harris said.

“Cincinnati’s food scene is in a stratosphere it’s never been in before,” he said.

Harris doesn’t know what to expect to happen with the James Beard Awards later this summer. But he already has a goal for next year: Joining Salazar on the Outstanding Restaurant lists.

“We’re never going to take our foot off the gas,” Harris said.