james beard

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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Yesterday, the VIPs of the culinary community took off their chef's coats and headed down the red carpet to their very own awards show. Considered the Oscars of eating, the James Beard Awards are the food world's most prestigious honors. With categories covering the entire spectrum of the industry — cookbooks, journalism, chefs, restaurants, and media — the event brought out the best of the best.

The big winner of the night was Chicago's Grant Achatz, who was voted the nation's top chef by the foundation. Other winners include Mario Batali and partner Joe Bastianich for outstanding restaurateurs and San Francisco's Craig Stoll of Delfina for best chef in the Pacific.

To take a look at a list of winners and a gallery of the celebs on the red carpet, including Bobby Flay, Masaharu Morimoto, Katie Lee Joel, Wylie Dufresne, Kim Cattrall, Jacques Pepin, and Todd English, read more

• This year's James Beard Awards will be hosted by Kim Cattrall. If you're wondering why, I should mention that her boyfriend is chef Alan Wyse, so maybe it's not such a crazy stretch? — Eater
• Bypass the supermarket and buy your meat direct. — Chow
• Clean up your act with this recipe for homemade silver polish. — CasaSugar
• Who Cooked it Better? Rachael Ray or Giada De Laurentiis? — Endless Simmer
• Get tips on eco-friendly entertaining. — GlamDish
• Discover new drinks to try this summer. — iVillage
• Discover a simple and healthy cappuccino dessert. — FitSugar
• Meet White Gold, the band in the the latest wacky milk ads. — Serious Eats

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