2024 James Beard Award nominees announced: Kru's Billy Ngo is Sacramento's lone contender
SACRAMENTO – Kru may have been snubbed by the Michelin Guide last year, but the founder and chef of the celebrated Sacramento institution is now up for a James Beard award.
On Wednesday, the James Beard Foundation announced its 2024 Restaurant and Chef Awards semifinalists.
California is well-represented among the nominees. However, most of the chefs and eateries call either SoCal or San Francisco home.
Buu "Billy" Ngo of Kru is the lone Sacramento chef nominated this year for Best Chef: California.
Reopened in swanky new digs along Folsom Boulevard in 2017, Kru lives up its name in serving "contemporary Japanese cuisine." While permutations of sushi dishes fill up a full page on the menu, Kru also serves up plates like katsudon and even a burger.
Despite Ngo's increasing notoriety – including appearances on TV shows like Cutthroat Kitchen and Chopped – Kru has yet to snag the coveted recognition from the Michelin Guide.
Sacramento has been accumulating James Beard Award nominations in recent years. In 2023, Craig Takehara from Binchoyaki went up for the best chef award, while Localis chef Chris Barnum-Dann was nominated in 2022.
Ngo was born in a Hong Kong refugee camp, according to his biography on the Kru website, and moved to Sacramento eight months later. He is a graduate of the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco.
The winners for the 2024 James Beard Awards will be announced on April 3.