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(May 5, 2015) – What makes a restaurant the hottest destination in town?
Glowing Yelp reviews, Instagram-worthy presentation and high praise from critics and food bloggers go a long way. But among chefs and restaurateurs, nothing says you’ve made it like a James Beard Award. Since 1990, the not-for-profit James Beard Foundation, named after “the father of American cuisine,” has been honoring outstanding names in the food and beverage industry.
There is no cash reward, but a win — or even a nomination — can substantially increase the buzz for business. Chef and restaurant winners were announced Monday night at Lyric Opera in Chicago. Here are some of the winners and honorees:
Best New Restaurant
- Winner: Bâtard (New York City)
- Central Provisions (Portland, Maine)
- Cosme (New York City)
- Parachute (Chicago)
- Petit Trois (Los Angeles)
- The Progress (San Francisco)
- Spoon and Stable (Minneapolis)
Outstanding Bar Program
- Winner: The Violet Hour (Chicago)
- Arnaud’s French 75 Bar (New Orleans)
- Bar Agricole (San Francisco)
- Maison Premiere (Brooklyn, New York)
- Trick Dog (San Francisco)
Outstanding Chef
- Winner: Michael Anthony (Gramercy Tavern, New York)
- Sean Brock, Husk (Charleston, South Carolina)
- Suzanne Goin, Lucques (Los Angeles)
- Donald Link, Herbsaint (New Orleans)
- Marc Vetri, Vetri (Philadelphia)
Outstanding Pastry Chef
- Winner: Christina Tosi, Momofuku (New York City)
- Dana Cree, Blackbird (Chicago)
- Maura Kilpatrick, Oleana (Cambridge, Massachusetts)
- Dahlia Narvaez, Osteria Mozza (Los Angeles)
- Ghaya Oliveira, Daniel (New York City)
Outstanding Baker
- Winner: Jim Lahey, Sullivan Street Bakery, (New York City)
- Joanne Chang, Flour Bakery + Cafe (Boston)
- Mark Furstenberg, Bread Furst (Washington)
- Belinda Leong and Michel Suas, B. Patisserie (San Francisco)
- William Werner, Craftsman and Wolves (San Francisco)
Outstanding Restaurant
- Winner: Blue Hill at Stone Barns (Pocantico Hills, New York)
- Highlands Bar and Grill (Birmingham, Alabama)
- Momofuku Noodle Bar, (New York City)
- Per Se (New York City)
- The Spotted Pig (New York City)
Outstanding Service
- Winner: The Barn at Blackberry Farm (Walland, Tennessee)
- Marea (New York City)
- Quince (San Francisco)
- Restaurant August (New Orleans)
- Topolobampo (Chicago)
Outstanding Wine Program
- Winner: A16 (San Francisco)
- Bern’s Steak House (Tampa, Florida)
- FIG (Charleston, South Carolina)
- McCrady’s (Charleston, South Carolina)
- Spago (Beverly Hills)
Outstanding Wine, Beer, or Spirits Professional
- Winner: Rajat Parr, Mina Group (San Francisco)
- Sam Calagione, Dogfish Head Craft Brewery (Milton, Delaware)
- Ron Cooper, Del Maguey Single Village Mezcal (Ranchos de Taos, New Mexico)
- Ted Lemon, Littorai Wines (Sebastopol, California)
- Harlen Wheatley, Buffalo Trace Distillery (Frankfort, Kentucky)
Rising Star Chef of the Year
- Winner: Jessica Largey, Manresa (Los Gatos, California)
- Tanya Baker, Boarding House (Chicago)
- Alex Bois, High Street on Market (Philadelphia)
- Erik Bruner-Yang, Toki Underground (Washington)
- Cara Stadler, Tao Yuan (Brunswick, Maine)
- Ari Taymor, Alma (Los Angeles)
Best Chef: Great Lakes
- Winner: Jonathon Sawyer, Greenhouse Tavern (Cleveland, Ohio)
- Curtis Duffy, Grace (Chicago)
- Paul Virant, Vie (Western Springs, Illinois)
- Erling Wu-Bower, Nico Osteria (Chicago)
- Andrew Zimmerman, Sepia (Chicago)
Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic
- Winner: Spike Gjerde, Woodberry Kitchen (Baltimore, Maryland)
- Joe Cicala, Le Virtù (Philadelphia)
- Rich Landau, Vedge (Philadelphia)
- Greg Vernick, Vernick Food & Drink (Philadelphia)
- Cindy Wolf, Charleston (Baltimore, Maryland)
Best Chef: Midwest
- Winner: Gerard Craft, Niche (Clayton, Missouri)
- Paul Berglund, The Bachelor Farmer (Minneapolis)
- Justin Carlisle, Ardent (Milwaukee)
- Michelle Gayer, Salty Tart (Minneapolis)
- Lenny Russo, Heartland Restaurant & Farm Direct Market (St. Paul, Minnesota)
Best Chef: Northeast
- Winner: Barry Maiden, Hungry Mother (Cambridge, Massachusetts)
- Karen Akunowicz, Myers + Chang (Boston)
- Masa Miyake, Miyake (Portland, Maine)
- Cassie Piuma, Sarma (Somerville, Massachusetts)
- Andrew Taylor and Mike Wiley, Eventide Oyster Co. (Portland, Maine)
Best Chef: Northwest
- Winner: Blaine Wetzel, The Willows Inn on Lummi Island (Lummi Island, Washington)
- Greg Denton and Gabrielle Quiñónez Denton, Ox (Portland, Oregon)
- Renee Erickson, The Whale Wins (Seattle)
- Justin Woodward, Castagna (Portland, Oregon)
- Rachel Yang and Seif Chirchi, Joule (Seattle)
Best Chef: New York City
- Winner: Mark Ladner, Del Posto
- Marco Canora, Hearth
- Mario Carbone and Rich Torrisi, Carbone
- Anita Lo, Annisa
- Ignacio Mattos, Estela
- Jonathan Waxman, Barbuto
Best Chef: South
- Winner: Alon Shaya, Domenica (New Orleans)
- Vishwesh Bhatt, Snackbar (Oxford, Mississippi)
- Justin Devillier, La Petite Grocery (New Orleans)
- Jose Enrique, Jose Enrique (San Juan, Puerto Rico)
- Slade Rushing, Brennan’s (New Orleans)
Best Chef: Southeast
- Winner: Jason Stanhope, FIG (Charleston, South Carolina)
- John Fleer, Rhubarb (Asheville, North Carolina)
- Edward Lee, 610 Magnolia (Louisville, Kentucky)
- Steven Satterfield, Miller Union (Atlanta)
- Andrew Ticer and Michael Hudman, Andrew Michael Italian Kitchen (Memphis)
- Tandy Wilson, City House (Nashville)
Best Chef: Southwest
- Winner: Aaron Franklin, Franklin Barbecue (Austin)
- Kevin Binkley, Binkley’s (Cave Creek, Arizona)
- Bryce Gilmore, Barley Swine (Austin)
- Hugo Ortega, Hugo’s (Houston)
- Martín Rios, Restaurant Martín (Santa Fe, New Mexico)
- Justin Yu, Oxheart (Houston)
Best Chef: West
- Winner: Stuart Brioza and Nicole Krasinski, State Bird Provisions (San Francisco)
- Matthew Accarrino, SPQR (San Francisco)
- Michael Cimarusti, Providence (Los Angeles)
- Corey Lee, Benu (San Francisco)
- Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo, Animal (Los Angeles)
