HARLEM, Manhattan (PIX11) -- It's called the Oscars of Food, and now, the James Beard Award semi-finalist list for this year is out, with New York's Harlem neighborhood seeing representation that's notably larger than usual.

Of the nearly 40 semi-finalists from New York City, four are Harlem food businesses. Their owners said that while they're very grateful for the recognition, it shows a food scene uptown that's been growing steadily and continues to expand in size and influence. 

Aliyyah Baylor founded Make My Cake, one of the semi-finalists, in her family's Harlem apartment 28 years ago, using many recipes given to her by her grandmother, Josephine Smith.

Now, Baylor has a full-service bakery and coffee shop on the neighborhood's main thoroughfare, 125th Street, two doors down from the church where her grandmother cooked for parish dinners. 

"I feel grateful; I feel very humble," Baylor said amid the clamor and clanging of the bakery's kitchen on Thursday. "My friends say I'm too humble," she continued, in describing her reaction to the prestigious designation. "My customers have celebrated."

One of them walked into the bakery near Morningside Avenue and sang a gospel song to celebrate the accolade that Baylor had won. 

It was announced on Wednesday, with Make My Cake being the only selectee in the Outstanding Bakery category. Also on the list were Charles Pan Fried Chicken's founder, Charles Gabriel, in the Best Chef New York State category, and J.J. Johnson in the Best Chef category for his FieldTrip restaurants. 

The fourth selectee was Melba's Restaurant, the only one in New York to qualify for Outstanding Hospitality. 

Baylor said that it's not only recognition of her business but also shows that food critics acknowledge the uptown neighborhood's culinary strength. 

"The food scene in Harlem has always stood out," she said. "There is a layer of businesses [here]. My girl Melba who has stood out for many accolades over the years," she said, referring to the founder of the eponymous restaurant, Melba Wilson.

She asked her loyal staff to talk with PIX11 about the latest of her many honors since they provided the hospitality the James Beard Foundation recognized.  

Olleigh Barrett, the head server at the 20-year-old eatery on Frederick Douglass Boulevard and 114th Street, said that Wilson's business has served as both an incubator and a model. 

"She always wanted to see change in her community, so she used food to bring people together for birthdays, anniversaries, repasts," Barrett said.

That community sense, she continued, has helped to attract more and more restaurants, bakeries, and other food businesses to Harlem over the last couple of decades. Along with that growth, she said, critical acclaim has now come.

"They want to be a part of that feeling of family," Barrett said, describing the community's spirit. "I feel like Harlem," she said, "especially Harlem, brings that."