2009 James Beard Awards

While the fashion world turned its eyes to the Met's Costume Institute Gala, the food glitterati had a celebration of their own last night.

The James Beard Awards, the food industry's equivalent to the Oscars, were announced in New York City at an awards ceremony hosted by Stanley Tucci (star of the upcoming Julie and Julia), Emeril Lagasse, and Cat Cora. The festivities celebrated "Women in Food" with a postceremony gala hosted by Lidia Bastianich. Thirty-eight awards were presented, while the Journalism and Broadcast Media Awards were announced the night before at a special dinner.

The top winners were Blue Hill's Dan Barber (Outstanding Chef) and San Francisco's darling Nate Appleman (Rising Star Chef).

To check out a list of winners and a gallery of images of the chefs in their finest, including Martha Stewart, Ted Allen, and Cat Cora, read more

Last month, we introduced you to the semifinalists for the 2009 James Beard Awards. This morning, the short list of final nominees was unveiled, and the winners of the awards — nicknamed the "Oscars of the food world" — will be revealed at an awards gala at Manhattan's Lincoln Center on May 4. In addition to the highly anticipated nominations for outstanding restaurateur, outstanding chef, and outstanding restaurant, among others, the foundation's other honors — in cookbooks, newspaper writing, restaurant design, and blogs — were also announced.

Did any of your favorite chefs and restaurants make the list? View the all the nominations, or check out a summary of some of the biggest award nominees when you read more

We're officially in the throes of awards show season — and that isn't limited to the entertainment industry. This morning, the James Beard Foundation announced the semifinalists for its 2009 awards. On March 23, the short list of complete nominees will be unveiled, and the honorable achievements — often referred to as the "Oscars of the food world" — will be presented at an awards gala on May 4 at Manhattan's Lincoln Center.

Semifinalist names were announced for the following categories: outstanding restaurateur, outstanding chef, outstanding restaurant, best new restaurant, rising star chef of the year, outstanding pastry chef, outstanding wine service, outstanding wine and spirits professional, outstanding service, and best chef for the following regions: Pacific, Mid-Atlantic, Midwest, Great Lakes, New York City, Northeast, Northwest, Southeast, Southwest, and South. This list doesn't include a good portion of the other James Beard Foundation's awards, including its cookbooks, newspaper articles, restaurant design, and blog awards, which are yet to be unveiled.

Although there are a number of celebrity chefs (Tom Colicchio, Dan Barber, José Andrés) as well as blockbuster restaurants on the list — Momofuku Ko, Scarpetta, and L20 — I also spotted a bunch of new names. Scan the 19-page list and tell me if any of your favorites have been included. Were any notable ones left off?

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