BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Chefs Steve and Ellen Gedra couldn't believe it when they heard the news.
“Let's tell our parents! Text Mom! Mom's always the first one to know,” said Ellen Gedra.
The masterminds behind The Black Sheep have been named semi-finalists for a James Beard Award in the Best Chefs: Northeast category.
Named after the famed chef and cookbook author, the awards are considered quite the dream.
“It's kind of like being nominated for the Oscars. This is a huge deal. Next step would be Michelin Guide,” explained Steve Gedra. “If you win a James Beard, you win an Oscar and you're made.”
The Gedras have been cooking up scratch-made, farm-to-table recipes at the West Side restaurant since its inception in 2014. Last fall, they even took their menu on the road to present a dinner at the James Beard House in New York City, another prestigious honor.
“You never think you're in that league,” Ellen said. “We've both been there with previous chefs and were like, ‘someday maybe we'll get invited.’”
While it's not the first nomination for a chef or restaurant in the Buffalo area, it certainly helps to boost the region's growing culinary landscape.
“The better everyone does, the better the whole community is. That's where we want to go,” said Ellen.
"We've been working hard, just like everybody else. Just to do this with my wife every day and come out on top a little bit is pretty awesome. It's crazy, but awesome," said Steve.
The final Restaurant and Chef Award nominees will be announced on March 15 with an awards gala May 1 in Chicago.