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Announcing the 2009 James Beard Award Winners

partysugar — Tue, 05 May 2009 09:15:25 -0700

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.

Outstanding Restaurateur Award
Drew Nieporent, Myriad Restaurant Group; New York, NY

Outstanding Chef Award
Dan Barber, Blue Hill; New York, NY

Outstanding Restaurant Award
Jean Georges, New York, NY; Chef/Owner: Jean-Georges Vongerichten, Owner: Phil Suarez

Rising Star Chef of the Year Award
Nate Appleman, A16; San Francisco, CA

Best New Restaurant
Momofuku Ko, New York, NY; Chef/Owner: David Chang

Outstanding Pastry Chef
Gina DePalma, Babbo; New York, NY

Outstanding Wine Service Award
Le Bernardin, New York, NY; Wine Director: Aldo Sohm

Outstanding Wine and Spirits Professional
Dale DeGroff, Dale DeGroff Co., Inc.; New York, NY

Outstanding Service Award
Daniel, New York, NY; Owners: Daniel Boulud and Joel Smilow

For more details, check out the official list of categories and award winners.

View 22 Photos ›

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Meet the 2009 James Beard Award Nominees!

YumSugar — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 11:30:53 -0700

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.

Outstanding Restaurateur Award
Tom Douglas, Tom Douglas Restaurants; Seattle, WA
Keith McNally, Balthazar, Lucky Strike, Pastis; New York, NY
Richard Melman, Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises; Chicago, IL
Drew Nieporent, Myriad Restaurant Group; New York, NY
Stephen Starr, Starr Restaurant Organization; Philadelphia, PA

Outstanding Chef Award
José Andrés, Minibar; Washington, DC
Dan Barber, Blue Hill; New York, NY
Tom Colicchio, Craft; New York, NY
Suzanne Goin, Lucques; Los Angeles, CA
Paul Kahan, Blackbird; Chicago, IL

Outstanding Restaurant Award
Babbo, New York, NY; Chef/Owner: Mario Batali, Owner: Joe Bastianich
Boulevard, San Francisco, CA; Chef/Owner: Nancy Oakes, Owner: Pat Kuleto
Fore Street, Portland, ME; Chef/Owner: Sam Hayward, Owner: Victor Leon and Dana Street
Highlands Bar & Grill, Birmingham, AL; Chef/Owner: Frank Stitt
Jean Georges, New York, NY; Chef/Owner: Jean-Georges Vongerichten, Owner: Phil Suarez

Rising Star Chef of the Year Award
Nate Appleman, A16; San Francisco, CA
Sean Brock, McCrady's; Charleston, SC
Johnny Monis, Komi; Washington, DC
Gabriel Rucker, Le Pigeon; Portland, OR
Michael Solomonov, Zahav; Philadelphia, PA
Sue Zemanick, Gautreau's; New Orleans, LA

Best New Restaurant
The Bazaar by José Andrés, Los Angeles, CA; Chef/Owner: José Andrés
Corton, New York, NY; Chef/Owner: Paul Liebrandt, Owner: Drew Nieporent
L20, Chicago, IL; Chef: Laurent Gras, Owner: Richard Melman
Momofuku Ko, New York, NY; Chef/Owner: David Chang
Scarpetta, New York, NY; Chef/Owner: Scott Conant

Outstanding Pastry Chef
Gina DePalma, Babbo; New York, NY
Kamel Guechida, Joël Robuchon; Las Vegas, NV
Pichet Ong, P*ong; New York, NY
Nicole Plue, Redd; Yountville, CA
Mindy Segal, Mindy's Hot Chocolate; Chicago, IL

Outstanding Wine Service Award
Bin 36, Chicago, IL; Wine Director: Brian Duncan
Blackberry Farm, Walland, TN; Wine Director: Andy Chabot
Le Bernardin, New York, NY; Wine Director: Aldo Sohm
Patina, Los Angeles, CA; Wine Director: Eric Espuny
Picasso at Bellagio, Las Vegas, NV; Wine Director: Robert Smith

Outstanding Wine and Spirits Professional
Dale DeGroff, Dale DeGroff Co., Inc.; New York, NY
Merry Edwards, Merry Edwards Wines; Sebastopol, CA
Garrett Oliver, The Brooklyn Brewery; Brooklyn, NY
John Shafer and Doug Shafer, Shafer Vineyards; Napa, CA
Julian P. Van Winkle, III, Old Rip Van Winkle Distillery; Louisville, KY

Outstanding Service Award
Daniel, New York, NY; Owners: Daniel Boulud and Joel Smilow
Emeril's New Orleans, New Orleans, LA; Owner: Emeril Lagasse
La Grenouille, New York, NY; Owners: Charles Masson and Giséle Masson
Spiaggia, Chicago, IL; Owner: Larry Levy
Vetri, Philadelphia, PA; Owners: Marc Vetri and Jeff Benjamin

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Yummy Links: From David Chang to Hamentashen

partysugar — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 07:50:32 -0700

David Chang is an approved "character" on the USA Network. - Serious Eats
Tips for saving money when ordering wine. - Wall Street Journal
One San Francisco chef expresses his right to enjoy foie gras. - Eat Me Daily
Twelve delicious and affordable ways to prepare ground beef. - The Kitchn
The cookbook nominees for the International Association of Culinary Professionals have been announced. - Al Dente
Do eggs need to be refrigerated? - Chow
Celebrate Purim by making sweet Danish hamentashen. - The Epi-Log

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2009 James Beard Awards Semifinalists Announced

YumSugar — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 13:00:35 -0800

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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Meet Bon Appétit's Chef of the Year: Michael Psilakis of Anthos

YumSugar — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 11:13:06 -0700

The October issue of Bon Appétit unveils the winners of the 11th Annual Bon Appétit Awards. The honors are awarded to the "most inspirational, influential, and innovative" tastemakers in the world of food. The headline honor, Chef of the Year, went to Michael Psilakis, head chef at Manhattan's Anthos, for being the person who "totally reinvented" Greek cuisine. I'm not too surprised by the unveiling, as I met Psilakis at the Food and Wine Classic in Aspen. The chef, here with Anthos business partner Donatella Arpaia, has been one of the most talked-about chefs this year.

Psilakis follows in the footsteps of last year's winner, Momofuku chef David Chang. For a full list of all this year's Bon Appetit Award winners, read more.

11th Annual Bon Appetit Awards 2008

Chef of the Year - Michael Psilakis
Pastry Chef - Gina Depalma
Restaurateur - Tom Douglas
Humanitarian - Heifer International
Cooking Teacher - Bobby Flay
Artisan - Anson Mills
Designer - Heath Ceramics
Wine & Spirits Professional - Jim Koch of Boston Beer Company
Food Writer - Michael Pollan
Tastemaker - Monterey Bay Aquarium
Lifetime Achievement - Carlo Petrini of Slow Food

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Announcing the 2008 James Beard Award Winners

partysugar — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 10:15:37 -0700

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.

Outstanding Restaurateur Award
Joe Bastianich/Mario Batali, Babbo Ristorante e Enoteca; New York, NY
Outstanding Chef Award
Grant Achatz, Alinea; Chicago, IL
Outstanding Restaurant Award
Gramercy Tavern, New York, NY; Owner: Danny Meyer
Best New Restaurant
Central Michel Richard, Washington, DC; Chef/Owner: Michel Richard
Rising Star Chef of the Year Award
Gavin Kaysen, Café Boulud, New York, NY
Outstanding Pastry Chef Award
Elisabeth Prueitt and Chad Robertson, Tartine Bakery; San Francisco, CA
Outstanding Wine Service Award
Eleven Madison Park, New York, NY; Wine Director: John Ragan
Outstanding Wine and Spirits Professional Award
Terry Theise, Terry Theise Estate Selections; Silver Spring, MD
Outstanding Service Award
Terra, St. Helena, CA; Owners: Hiro Sone and Lissa Doumani

For more details, check out the official list of categories, nominees, and award winners.

View 13 Photos ›

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Who's Going to Win This Year's James Beard Awards?

YumSugar — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 11:11:51 -0700

A little over a month ago, we tipped you off to the 2008 James Beard Awards Long List, and well the time has come: the long list is now a short list. This morning the official list of nominees was released. There are 52 categories including cookbooks, journalism articles, television, radio, web, restaurant design, and most importantly the restaurants and chefs themselves.

To discover some of the biggest award nominees, just read more.

For the full rundown, be sure to visit the official list of full nominees.

Outstanding Restaurateur Award
Joe Bastianich/Mario Batali, Babbo Ristorante e Enoteca; New York, NY
Tom Douglas, Tom Douglas Restaurants; Seattle, WA
Richard Melman, Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises; Chicago, Il
Wolfgang Puck, The Wolfgang Puck Fine Dining Group; Beverly Hills, CA
Jean-Georges Vongerichten, Jean-Georges Management LLC; New York, NY

Outstanding Chef Award
Grant Achatz, Alinea; Chicago, IL
José Andrés, Minibar; Washington, DC
Dan Barber, Blue Hill; New York, NY
Suzanne Goin, Lucques, Los Angeles, CA
Frank Stitt, Highlands Bar & Grill; Birmingham, AL

Outstanding Restaurant Award
Boulevard, San Francisco, CA; Chef/Owner: Nancy Oakes, Owner: Pat Kuleto
Campanile, Los Angeles, CA; Chef/Owner: Mark Peel
Gramercy Tavern, New York, NY; Owner: Danny Meyer
Jean Georges, New York, NY; Chef/Owner: Jean-Georges Vongerichten
The Slanted Door, San Francisco, CA; Chef/Owner: Charles Phan

Best New Restaurant
Anthos, New York, NY; Chef/Owner: Michael Psilakis, Owner: Donatella Arpaia
Central Michel Richard, Washington, DC; Chef/Owner: Michel Richard
Fearing's at the Ritz Carlton, Dallas, TX; Chef/Owner: Dean Fearing, The Ritz-Carlton, Dallas
Osteria Mozza, Los Angeles, CA; Chef: Matt Molina; Owners: Nancy Silverton, Mario Batali, Joseph Bastianich
Osteria, Philadelphia, PA; Chef/Owners: Marc Vetri, Jeff Michaud; Owner: Jeff Benjamin

Rising Star Chef of the Year Award
Nate Appleman, A 16; San Francisco, CA
Sean Brock, McCrady's; Charleston, SC
Gavin Kaysen, Café Boulud, New York, NY
Johnny Monis, Komi; Washington, DC
Matt Molina, Osteria Mozza; Los Angeles, CA
Gabriel Rucker, Le Pigeon; Portland, OR

Outstanding Pastry Chef Award
Gina DePalma, Babbo Ristorante e Enoteca; New York, NY
Pichet Ong, P*ONG; New York, NY
Nicole Plue, Redd; Yountville, CA
Elisabeth Prueitt and Chad Robertson, Tartine Bakery; San Francisco, CA
Mindy Segal, HotChocolate; Chicago, IL

Outstanding Wine Service Award
Aureole, Las Vegas, NV; Wine Director: Steven Geddes
Bin 36, Chicago, IL; Wine Director: Brian Duncan
Eleven Madison Park, New York, NY; Wine Director: John Ragan
Blackberry Farm, Walland, TN; Wine Director: Andy Chabot
Picasso, Las Vegas, NV; Wine Director: Robert Smith

Outstanding Wine and Spirits Professional Award
Dale DeGroff, Dale DeGroff Co., Inc.; New York, NY
Merry Edwards, Merry Edwards Wines; Sebastopol, CA
David Lett, The Eyrie Vineyards; McMinnville, OR
Bobby Stuckey, Frasca Food and Wine; Boulder, CO
Terry Theise, Terry Theise Estate Selections; Silver Spring, MD

Outstanding Service Award
Canlis, Seattle, WA; Owners:The Canlis Family
Gary Danko, San Francisco, CA; Owner: Gary Danko
Spiaggia, Chicago; Owner: Tony Mantuano
Terra, St. Helena, CA; Owners: Hiro Sone and Lissa Doumani
Vetri, Philadelphia, PA; Owner: Mark Vetri

Announcing the First Golden Clog Award Nominees

YumSugar — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 09:13:31 -0800

You may know the James Beard Awards, and you might also know the Food Network Awards, but have you heard of the Golden Clog Awards?

Food author Michael Ruhlman - you may remember him from The Next Iron Chef - and bad boy Anthony Bourdain have put their heads together and have created the Golden Clog Awards. They said it's born out of "too many beers and late night yakatori," and I think it's just downright fun. The categories are hysterical, and their reasons even more so. Bourdain has actually managed to nominate himself for an award even! The actual awards will take place this Friday, but if you're curious to see the categories - including "The Alton" and "The Douchebag" - and nominees, read more.

The Fergus:For greatest achievement in pork, and/or guts
Martin Picard of Montreal's "Au Pied de Cochon"; David Chang of New York's "Momofuku Noodle Bar and Momofuku Ssam and ..."; Chris Cosentino of San Francisco's "Incanto"
The Alton: For being on Food Network and yet, somehow managing to Not Suck

Duff Goldman for Ace of Cakes--and for his relative low visibility and seeming lack of cooperation in the usual knuckleheaded FN Holiday co-branded clusterfucks; Ina Garten for actually cooking just about everything impeccably--and for (like Duff) being nearly invisible elsewhere on the Network; Giada de Laurentiis for doing everything (but the food) wrong and yet... still cooking consistently better than she has to.

The Mario: For the chef/restaurateur who best multi-tasked, multi-platformed, merchandised, whored himself, or opened multi-units (either while impaired--or not) and yet STILL managed to protect the quality of the mothership--while continuing to make valuable contributions to the restaurant landscape

Tom Collichio, Thomas Keller, Mario Batali

The Rocco: For worst career move

Gordon Ramsay for the cruel and pointless freak show that is Hell's Kitchen; David Burke for the "Hooters in a Hula skirt" non-charms of Hawaiian Tropic Zone in Times Square; Tyler Florence for Applebees, Applebees, Applebees

The Chef's Chef Award: Also known as The What's a Publicist? Award for the chef who continues to make the kind of food other chefs like, while flying largely under the national radar

Scott Bryan for Veritas and now -- some place in Virginia; Mark Vetri for Osteria and Vetri in Philly; Paul Kahan for Blackbird and Avec in Chicago

The Cat Cora Award: For most fame based on least actual culinary achievement

Guy Fieri for..."Tex Wasabi?"; Tony Bourdain--"One fucking book. Did this asshole ever work anyplace GOOD?"; Robert Irvine--"Sir Robert? Uh....Maybe not. Prince Charles' wedding cake?...uh...no. White House? Hmmm..not according to Walter Scheib....Five Stars? Who IS this guy? Really?"

Looking for Love in all the Wrong Places Award:

MJ Adams at the Corn Exchange in Rapid City SD; Andrew Meek at Sage in Windsor Heights, Iowa; Jim Kyndberg at the Bayport Cookery, Bayport MN; Stuart Tracey of the Pirogue Grill in Bismark, North Dakota

The Steingarten: For the writer or blogger who actually GETS it

Bill Buford for Heat; Pim for Chez Pim; Mike Nagrant for Hungrymag.com

The Douchebag: For the best example of twisted, repressed, or compromised "I'd rather be making lemon bundt cake with My Cat, Mr. Mufflesworth" journalist who actually HATES food and hates the people who make food even more

Alan Richman for taking a big Dump on New Orleans at the worst possible time. And for his totally disingenuous piece on celebrity chefs not being behind the stove when Alan chooses to dine; John Mariani for continuing to be John Mariani and do what he does so well. Which is--apparently--get free stuff; Bob Lape--"Do I have to pay for that?": Regina Schrambling for her deranged, embittered--yet fascinating--gastropoda.com, where she raves and rags on her former employers--(and Mario Batali) like an ex-lover-turned-bag lady.

The Swollen Liver Award: For the chef/or food person who has most consistently resisted the cruel attentions of PETA and the Food Police

Laurent Manrique, Michael Romano, Chris Cosentino, Ariane Daguin

The Crazy Bastard Special Achievement Award: For the chef/operator who did the most insanely wonderful or heroic fucking thing in recent memory

Chef Donald Link of Cochon in New Orleans.

The Supreme Order of Clogness Award: For the chef or restaurateur or food writer or food producer or food "personality" who simply did it best--or made the most significant thing, moved things forward, or changed the landscape of food in wonderful NEW ways

Winner to be announced.

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Announcing the 2008 James Beard Award "Long List"

YumSugar — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 14:15:51 -0800

The first round of nominees for the 2008 James Beard Awards have just been announced. Well not really, the judges were sent the "long list" earlier today, and the folks at Grub Street managed to get their grubby little hands on a copy.

The list is the best of the best in the US, and features quite a broad range. The categories are Restaurateur, Best Regional Chef (separate categories for each region), Pastry Chef, Rising Star Chef, Chef, Restaurant, Service, Wine Service, Wine & Spirits Professional, and Best New Restaurant.

It's interesting to me that New York City gets its own category, but since it's such a hot bed of culinary delights, I guess it's only fair to the rest of the Northeast. The lists definitely run the gamut of flavors and styles. There are some obvious names - like Mario Batali, Jean-Georges Vongerichten, and Wolfgang Puck - but there are some newcomers as well. Here at Sugar HQ, we're excited by the inclusion of several of our new fave eateries (SPQR and Spruce in San Francisco).

If you're curious, check out the entire long list of nominees. It's interesting to note that the cookbooks, newspaper articles, webcasts/radio, and restaurant design are not on this list. Those will surely be announced in the weeks to come, and when they do, we'll definitely let you know!

So, were any of your favorite chefs or restaurants on the long list? Do you feel that your region is well represented?

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Martin and Lee Anne Honor the Top Chinese Restaurants

YumSugar — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 16:13:33 -0800

Yesterday, in New York City's J. Javits Center, celebrity chef Martin Yan, Lee Anne "Top Chef" Wong, and 300 Chinese restaurateurs gathered for the Fourth Annual Top 100 Chinese Restaurants in the USA Awards Show (try saying that fast).

The awards are broken down into ten categories - Overall Excellence, Regional Cuisine, Take-Out, Buffets, Best Value, Signature Dish, Rising Stars, Nutrition-Friendly Menus, Asian Fusion, and Metro Favorites - and there are 100 winners on each list. This year competition was open to all Chinese restaurants in the US; there were more than 43,000 participants from all 50 states. The winners were then chosen by a mystery diner program - anonymous visits and evaluations of each restaurant - as well as votes from diners and the public as a whole.

To find out if your local restaurant made the list, check out their website or download the pdf.

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