David Chang

Star chef David Chang is causing a stir in the food-blog world. If you manage to get a reservation at his new restaurant Momofuku Ko, be prepared to leave your camera at home. According to Chang's new no-photography rule, diners will no longer be able to snap pics of luscious pork products or tasty eats (although the rule is not enforced at his larger sister restaurants).

As an avid foodie photographer — my friends know to let me take photos before we dig in — I find this disappointing. I take pictures of food so I can relive it later and share it with you. I make sure to turn the flash off, never interrupt other diners, and work as quickly as possible. Hearing that it's banned in a place where so few folks can dine really bums me out. If I can't eat there, I want to live vicariously through someone else.

What do you guys think? Do you think Chang, who says, "It's just food. Eat it," is on the right path, or should diners be able to take photos at restaurants?

During the three days PartySugar and I spent at this year's Food and Wine Classic, we came across a lot of amazing and tasty things. From pork to peas, we were treated to some of the best food from some of the most amazing chefs on the planet. It was a difficult task, but I've rounded up my top 10 favorite things. Read them below and then be sure to click through for all the pictures.

1. David Chang's Pork Party (specifically the pork buns)
   We were lucky enough to attend the David Chang and friends after-party on Saturday night. The highlight was chowing down on his pork buns and wraps, and then learning that there was also crab and whole roasted piglets.
2. Ming Tsai with tofu on his face
   During his cooking demonstration, Ming got a piece of tofu on his face. When he looked at the mirror (which was facing the crowd) he said, "I can't see it, all I see is white people."
3. Jose Andres cooking with his 9-year-old daughter Carlota
   He has such a great personality and is so much fun to watch. Having his daughter help on stage made it even more fun.
4. Jeremy Fox's Best New Chef dish
   I was a bit dubious about the Best New Chef's pea, mint, white chocolate, and macadamia nut concoction, but it was so delicious! I couldn't stop eating them, PartySugar practically had to pull me away from the the table.

View 16 Photos ›

• David Chang hosted a party that Party and I attended. Here's Chang earlier in the day, at his cooking demo.
• Chang served the dishes he made during the demo, pork buns and spicy lettuce wraps, at the party.
• Ming Tsai, before he had the tofu on his face!
• Jose Andres and his adorable daughter Carlota.

To discover what else made my list, plus a gallery of images, just read more

In the upcoming issue of Bon Appetit magazine — available on newstands September 11, 2007 — the results for the 10th Annual Bon Appetit Awards will be revealed. However, if you can't wait that long I've got the results right here. The awards are given to chefs, writers, and artisans who have changed the way America eats. The main honor, Chef of the Year, is being presented to David Chang of Momofuku in New York. He has "energized a new generation of diners" and "strips away all the nonsense of fine dining." If you recall, 30-year-old Chang was also the winner of the 2007 James Beard Award Rising Star Chef. I've never been to his restaurants, but I know that next time I head out to New York I'll definitely get in line!

To see who the other Bon Appetit Award winners are, read more

Last night the who's who of the food world all came out for the James Beard Foundation Awards. If you're not sure what that is, let me just say that it's sort of like the Oscars of the food world. They give awards to several categories of cookbooks, journalism, chefs, media, and more (including humanitarian & lifetime achievement awards). The "They" is a group of Awards Committees consisting of food-industry professionals. The judges are chosen by the committees and choose the winners by reviewing all entries and voting via secret ballot. Oh and just to be fair, if you're a judge, you can't enter to win in that category.

So now that all the rules and regulations are spelled out let's talk about the winners. The big "star" of the night was David Chang (pictured) of Momofuku in New York who won the award for Rising Star Chef of Year. Also noteworthy was Traci Des Jardins of Rubicon here in San Francisco, she was one of the few female chefs to win anything (she won the Pacific regional award for Best Chef).

For the list of winners and a gallery of folks on the red carpet, including: Martha Stewart, Top Chef host Padma Lakshmi with NY's Daniel Boulud, Thomas Keller, Salman Rushdie and Bobby Flay (who was inducted into the Who's Who of Food & Beverage in America), read more