Nawal Braden Swart, owner of Nawal’s Mediterranean Grille, 14253 Northland Drive in Bulldog Square, is among the top five finalists in the Favorite Chef competition, an online contest that awards the winner $25,000, a feature in ‘Taste of Home’ magazine and the opportunity to cook with celebrity chef Carla Hall on an episode of ‘Chewed Up.’ (Pioneer file photo)
Pioneer photo/Dylan Schwartz
Nawal Braden Swart, owner of Nawal’s Mediterranean Grille, 14253 Northland Drive in Bulldog Square, is among the top five finalists in the Favorite Chef competition, an online contest that awards the winner $25,000, a feature in ‘Taste of Home’ magazine and the opportunity to cook with celebrity chef Carla Hall on an episode of ‘Chewed Up.’
Courtesy of Nawal Braden Swart
BIG RAPIDS — Customers at Nawal’s Mediterranean Grille have helped carry owner Nawal Braden Swart through years of building relationships one meal at a time. Now, those same customers are helping propel her through a nationwide culinary competition.
Swart, owner of Nawal’s Mediterranean Grille, 14253 Northland Drive in Bulldog Square, is among the top five finalists in the Favorite Chef competition, an online contest that awards the winner $25,000, a feature in “Taste of Home” magazine and the opportunity to cook with celebrity chef Carla Hall on an episode of “Chewed Up.”
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Voting in the group finals remains open through 10 p.m. on Thursday, July 9.
The Favorite Chef competition, launched in 2023, is open to professional chefs, home cooks and culinary creators across the country.
The contest is decided through public voting, with one free vote allowed each day.
Donations also count as votes and support the James Beard Foundation, an American nonprofit organization dedicated to celebrating, supporting and elevating the people behind America’s food culture, according to the competition website.
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Swart said she entered the competition by submitting her background and recipes before advancing through multiple rounds.
“I made it to the top 25, then the top 20, the top 15, the top 10 and now the final top five,” Swart said. “If I win, I will be cooking with Chef Carla Hall, one of my recipes will be in ‘Taste of Home’ magazine and I will win $25,000.”
Swart said winning would provide financial relief while also allowing her to share the breadth of Mediterranean cuisine she prepares.
“It would be a dream come true,” Swart said.
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She said her menu extends beyond Egyptian dishes to include recipes inspired by countries throughout the Mediterranean region, including Italy, France and Morocco.
Originally from Cairo, Egypt, Swart moved to the U.S. in 1988 after marrying her husband, a member of the U.S. Air Force.
She earned degrees in business and accounting in Egypt before opening a daycare in the U.S.
Her career in food service began after helping at a local restaurant, where she discovered cooking was her passion.
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Swart said she did not expect to advance as far as she has in a competition that includes contestants from across the country.
“To be in the top five from all over, this is crazy,” Swart said.
She credited much of her success to the customers who have supported both her restaurant and her campaign.
“I have the best customers in the world,” Swart said.
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She said she has worked to build personal relationships with customers since opening the restaurant, taking time to talk with diners and learn about their families.
“My customers are my family,” Swart said. “When you come to my restaurant, you will feel like you’re in your mama’s house or your grandma’s house.”
Regardless of the outcome, Swart said the competition has reinforced how much support she has received from the community.
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“All my customers and everybody helped me,” Swart said. “I know how much I’ve been loved by all these people.”
Dining and Cooking