2011 James Beard Award Winners

by Susannah Chen 2

After months of media buzz, the winners of this year's James Beard Awards are in. The awards — which are being bestowed upon the nation's top chefs thisveryminute by the likes of Tom Colicchio, Ming Tsai, and Traci Des Jardins — are taking place at a star-studded gala in New York's Lincoln Center.

As for the winners: José Andrés was predicted to take home the Outstanding Chef Award, which he did — while Eleven Madison Park in New York City took home the year's award for best restaurant. To see the most updated list of accolades, keep reading.

• Outstanding Chef Award
  José Andrés
  Minibar by José Andrés
  Washington DC
• Outstanding Restaurant Award
  Eleven Madison Park
  New York, NY
  Chef: Daniel Humm
  Owner: Danny Meyer
• Best New Restaurant
  ABC Kitchen
  New York, NY
  Chef/Owner: Jean-Georges Vongerichten
  Owner: Phil Suarez
• Outstanding Restaurateur Award
  Richard Melman
  Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises
  Chicago, IL
• Rising Star Chef of the Year Award
  Gabriel Rucker
  Le Pigeon
  Portland, OR
• Outstanding Pastry Chef Award
  Angela Pinkerton
  Eleven Madison Park
  New York, NY
• Outstanding Service Award
  Per Se
  New York, NY
  Chef/Owner: Thomas Keller
• Outstanding Wine Service Award
  The Modern
  New York, NY
  Wine Director: Belinda Chang
• Outstanding Wine and Spirits Professional Award
  Julian P. Van Winkle III
  Old Rip Van Winkle Distillery
  Louisville, KY
• Best Chef: New York City
  Gabrielle Hamilton
  Prune
• Best Chef: Great Lakes (IL, IN, MI, OH)
  Alex Young
  Zingerman's Roadhouse
  Ann Arbor, Michigan
• Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic (DC, DE, MD, NJ, PA, VA)
  Michael Solomonov
  Zahav
  Philadelphia, PA
• Best Chef: Midwest (IA, KS, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD, WI)
  Isaac Becker
  112 Eatery
  Minneapolis, MN
• Best Chef: Northeast (CT, MA, ME, NH, NY, RI, VT)
  Tony Maws
  Craigie on Main
  Cambridge, MA
• Best Chef: Pacific (CA, HI)
  Michael Tusk
  Quince
  San Francisco, CA
• Best Chef: Northwest (AK, ID, MT, OR, WA, WY)
  Andy Ricker
  Pok Pok
  Portland, OR
• Best Chef: South (AL, AR, FL, LA, MS)
  Steven Stryjewski
  Cochon
  New Orleans, LA
• Best Chef: Southeast (GA, KY, NC, SC, TN, WV)
  Andrea Reusing
  Lantern
  Chapel Hill, NC
• Best Chef: Southwest (AZ, CO, NM, NV, OK, TX, UT)
  Tie: Saipin Chutma and Tyson Cole

  Saipin Chutima
  Lotus of Siam
  Las Vegas, NV

  Tyson Cole
  Uchi
  Austin, TX

• Outstanding Restaurant Design
  Bar Agricole
  San Francisco, CA
  Design Firm: Aidlin Darling Design
• Outstanding Restaurant Graphics
  The National Bar & Dining Rooms
  New York, NY
  Design Firm: Love and War
• America’s Classics Awards

  Chef Vola's
  111 S Albion Pl
  Atlantic City, NJ
  Owners: Louise Esposito, Michael Esposito, Michael Esposito Jr. and Louis Esposito

  Le Veau d'Or
  129 East 60th Street
  New York, NY
  Owners: Robert and Cathy Tréboux

  Watts Tea Shop
  761 N. Jefferson Street
  Milwaukee, WI
  President and CEO: Sam Watts

  Crook's Corner
  610 West Franklin Street
  Chapel Hill, NC
  Owner: Gene Hamer; Executive Chef: Bill Smith

  Noriega Restaurant and Hotel
  525 Sumner Street
  Bakersfield, CA
  Owners: Rochelle Ladd and Linda Elizalde McCoy

• Who’s Who of Food & Beverage in America Inductees
  Jonathan Gold
  Food Writer
  LA Weekly
  Los Angeles, CA

  Farmer Lee Jones
  Founder, Culinary Vegetable Institute
  Huron, OH

  Charles Phan
  Chef/Owner, The Slanted Door
  San Francisco, CA

  Frank Stitt
  The Highlands Bar & Grill
  Birmingham, AL

  Nick Valenti
  CEO, Patina Restaurant Group
  New York, NY

• Lifetime Achievement Award
  Kevin Zraly
  Wine educator and founder, Windows on the World Wine School
• Humanitarian of the Year
  David Lee
  Founder, FareStart, Seattle, WA