The day after finding out she’s a semifinalist for a 2026 James Beard Award, Sarah Dworak, the chef/owner of Sudova, sat down with the That’s So Cincinnati podcast to share her story.
It’s a story that starts in Youngstown, Ohio, where Dworak grew up in a Ukrainian family before moving to Arizona and eventually Cincinnati to, in her words, “follow a boy.” Dworak tells us why she decided to start selling pierogis at a modest Findlay Market stand and how it eventually turned into Wodka Bar, her Over-the-Rhine cocktail lounge that earned a place among Esquire’s Best Bars in America the year it opened.
A few years ago, Dworak took a chance and shuttered the bar so she could dedicate herself to opening Sudova, a full-service restaurant on Court Street that features the foods of Ukraine and other Eastern European nations. She admits feeling a bit of imposter syndrome entering Downtown’s rarified culinary scene, especially since she is not a classically trained chef. Now that Sudova has been recognized as both a Cincinnati favorite and a Beard pick, she realizes she’s right where she belongs.
Dworak joins four other Greater Cincinnati Beard semifinalists this year, including Jeff Harris, the chef/owner of Nolia Kitchen, in Over-the-Rhine, Hideki Harada, owner of Kiki, in Clifton, David Willocks, of Baker’s Table, in Newport and Mike Stankovich, who was nominated for Outstanding Beverage Professional. Both Dworak and Willocks are first-time semifinalists.
Be sure to listen all the way to the end for some breaking news about Dworak’s next big project on Court Street.
“That’s So Cincinnati,” The Enquirer’s weekly podcast on what’s making news in our community, features a who’s who of special guests. Find it at Audioboom, Apple or your favorite podcast platform.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Sarah Dworak on James Beard Award nod and more | That’s So Cincinnati
Reporting by Keith Pandolfi, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
