SAWYER'S CLEVELAND

The Plain Dealer's Debbi Snook has reviewed all three of Jonathon Sawyer's main restaurants in Cleveland. You can read her reviews by clicking the links below:

Trentina

Greenhouse Tavern

Noodlecat

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Twitter lit up Monday night with word that Cleveland chef Jonathon Sawyer won the 2015 James Beard Foundation Award for Best Chef Great Lakes.

During the 25th annual Beard Awards - held this year in Chicago, the first time the ceremony was staged outside of New York City - the chef/owner of The Greenhouse Tavern, Noodlecat and Trentina restaurants was the lone non-Chicagoan nominated in the Great Lakes category. He bested a field of chefs who all boasted Chicago ties. Sawyer topped Paul Virant of Vie in Western Springs, Illinois; and Andrew Zimmerman of Sepia, Curtis Duffy of Grace and Erling Wu-Bower of Nico Osteria, all in Chicago.

Sawyer's wife and business partner, Amelia, accompanied her husband at the ceremony.

Shout-outs came from chefs of every stripe - from Cleveland restaurateur Brian Doyle to acclaimed New York City chef Daniel Boulud. WKYC-TV anchor Russ Mitchell took to Sawyer's Facebook page to extend his congratulations.

Only one other Clevelander - Michael Symon, Sawyer's mentor and former employer - has won the Best Chef/Great Lakes recognition.

Although Sawyer wasn't available for comment, Symon extended his appreciation for Sawyer's win via text message:

"Beyond excited & proud," Symon wrote. "He is extremely deserving of the award - for not only his thoughtfulness with food, but in a day and age of copycat food, and playing it safe, he is always pushing the envelope. He has developed a style of food that is truly his own."

Sawyer was previously nominated in the "Best Chefs: Great Lakes" category for 2014, 2013 and 2012. He earned "Rising Star Chef" nominations from the Foundation in both 2011 and 2010.