It was an overcast
late afternoon in Gotham, the skies shedding a few spritzes -- a welcome change
from last year’s blazing late-day heat on the red carpet.
Yet nothing
could dampen the thrill and joy of seeing the country’s best chefs come
together for what is affectionately known as the Academy Awards of the food
world.
Winners were
announced last night, Monday, May 7, 2012, at the annual 2012 James Beard
Foundation Awards, the nation’s most prestigious recognition program honoring
professionals in the food and beverage industries.
This year
marked the 25th Anniversary of the James Beard Foundation Awards,
and for the first time, the event was a virtual sell out.
During a
ceremony hosted by chef and television personality Alton Brown at Lincoln
Center’s Avery Fisher Hall, awards in the Restaurant
and Chef and the Design and Graphics categories were presented, as well as a
number of special achievement awards including "Who’s Who" of Food & Beverage
in America, America’s Classics, Lifetime Achievement, and Humanitarian of the
Year.
All award
winners receive a certificate and a medallion engraved with the James Beard
Foundation Awards insignia. And the recognition of their peers.
The awards are
marked by the red carpet entry on the plaza, the theater where the three-plus
hour event is staged.
 |
| Spotted Pig's Carol Rzeszewski on the Red Carpet |
Best dressed
on the carpet was Carol Rzeszewski, wine director at the Spotted Pig restaurant
 |
| JBF Best Chef Nominee, April Bloomfield, Spotted Pig, The Breslin |
Best accessory? Her red carpet partner with
the blue suede shoes! What style.
Her boss: Chef April Bloomfield
Her boss: Chef April Bloomfield
Red Carpet
mates for me included Behind
The Dish TV's Stephen Fried, (very nice) and the handsome gentleman,
Bonjwing Lee, Ulterior Epicure, Eater
 |
| JBF Award Winner, Thomas Keller, Per Se |
After the award
ceremony, the celebration gets into immediate and high gear with a multi-tiered
food and drink presentations and tastings cum competition on the terrace and
two floors of the soaring architecture designed to honor the fine arts.
Last night was
no exception.
The James
Beard Foundation awards salutes the best in culinary arts.
Highlights from this year’s list of winners include:
Outstanding Chef New York City: Michael Anthony, chef and owner, Gramercy Tavern
Chef Michael Anthony most
deservedly took the medal this year, in spite of some recent health concerns he
overcame and acknowledged while accepting the award. Chef Mike is a class act, a gentleman, a
culinary talent and an inspiration to all things homegrown. Chef Mike thanked Danny Meyer and his team. Chef
Mike is in my NYC Homegrown book – and I was over the moon when he
took the time from TV interviews on the red carpet to come over and offer a
hello kiss!
Outstanding Chef: Daniel
Humm (Eleven Madison Park, NYC) Eleven
Madison Park Restaurant To much
applause, Humm profusely thanked the Foundation, and his wife, (said there
should be an outstanding wife or spouse award) and Danny Meyer, his mentor, who
Humm noted changed his life, changed the restaurant – and supported what they
were doing at Eleven Madison even during the recession when some nights there
might only have served 20 covers…
Outstanding Restaurant:
Boulevard (San Francisco) Boulevard
Restaurant Chef Nancy Oakes produced
an incredible steak tartare and salmon, with truffle shavings at the after
party that deserved its own JBF medal of honor!
Rising Star Chef: Christina
Tosi (Momofuku Milk Bar, NYC) Momofuku
Restaurant
Best New Restaurant: Next (Chicago) Next Restaurant Grant Achatz’ “next” thing that changes
accordingly
Outstanding Bar Program, PDT (NYC)
PDT -- The name is an acronym for “Please Don’t
Tell” but the James Beard award seems sure to blast the secret East Village’s
hidden location and Prohibition era style phone booth passage to the bar and
temple of all things cocktail.
Incredible as it may
seem, the Bar program 2012 was the first time mixologists were recognized since
the JBF awards were launched 25 years ago. This year, the bartenders were lauded
for helping to elevate the craft to a true profession and for fomenting a true
cocktail Renaissance.
Outstanding Service, La Grenouille (NYC) La
Grenouille Restaurant Simply elegant, sumptuous, dining in the very
best French tradition for nearly 50 years.
Service matters.
Outstanding Wine,
Beer, or Spirits Professional
Paul
Grieco, Terroir, (NYC) Hearth Restaurant Terroir Wine Bar
Best Chef:
Mid-Atlantic
Maricel Presilla,
Cucharamama, (Hoboken, NJ) Cucharamama South America Cuisine Restaurant
Outstanding
Restaurant Design
Le
Bernardin, NYC, Design Firm: Bentel & Bentel Architects Le
Bernardin
In
addition, special achievement award honorees included:
Who’s Who of Food &
Beverage in America: Grant Achatz (Chef and Author, Chicago); Mark Bittman (Journalist and Author, NYC); Dana Cowin
(Editor and Journalist, NYC); Emily Luchetti (Pastry Chef and Author, San
Francisco); Marvin Shanken (Publisher, NYC)
America’s Classics: The
Fry Bread House (Owner: Cecelia Miller, Phoenix); Nora’s Fish Creek Inn
(Owners: Nora Tygum, Trace Tygum, and
Kathryn Tygum Taylor, Wilson, WY); St. Elmo Steak House (Owners: Stephen Huse
and Craig Huse, Indianapolis); Jones Bar-B-Q Diner (Owners: James and Betty Jones,
Marianna, AR); Shady Glen (Owners: William and Annette Hoch, Manchester, CT)
Lifetime Achievement Award: Wolfgang Puck (Chef and Restaurateur,
Los Angeles) Puck provided a charming
and funny story of his rise from humble Austrian roots (his father told him he
was taking on a woman’s job when he declared he wanted to cook and essentially
through him out and the chef at his first job fired him only to find him
working in the root cellar two weeks later!)
His ascendency to the pinnacle of the culinary world is sprinkled with
celebrities and success and it was an interesting profile: an American rags to
riches tale.
Humanitarian of the
Year: Charlie Trotter (Chef and
Restaurateur, Chicago)
Highlights from the inaugural 2011 JBF Food Conference and
Leadership Awards was presented and moderated by Woody Campbell, Chairman, The
JBF Board of Trustees and Sam Kass, White House Chef and Senior Policy Advisor
for Healthy Food Initiatives. Excellent
program that brought together food and nutrition thought leaders that works to
promote a safer, healthier and sustainable way to eat, especially in the
schools.
(The 2012 Food Conference is scheduled for October 17th
and 18th at the Hearst Tower.)
Best Quote or Lines of the Night: Tony Miller, L’Etoille, Madison Wisconsin who
characterized the James Beard award as weird dudes who spreads awesomeness
around the country. Later, the owner of
the Shady Glen, William Hoch, thanked the Foundation and said it was such an
honor to be recognized by James Bond!
Industry leaders from across the country attended the highly
anticipated festivities, which celebrated this year’s Awards theme of “25 Years
of Food at its Best,” in tribute to the
Foundation’s silver anniversary and mission that honors James Beard’s legacy by
celebrating, nurturing, and preserving America’s diverse culinary heritage and
future. In recognition of James Beard’s influence on our culinary world, the
Foundation invited chefs who had the privilege of knowing James Beard
personally, as well as those who have been influenced by his legacy, to prepare
dishes inspired by recipes from his more than 20 cookbooks. At the Gala
Reception immediately following the Awards Ceremony, guests enjoyed a
dine-around gala prepared by these notable chefs, including many of this year’s
winners and nominees, among them Gary Danko of Restaurant Gary Danko in San
Francisco, Paul Kahan of Blackbird in Chicago, and Emily Luchetti of Farallon
in San Francisco.
Some of the culinary highlights at the after party included
the aforementioned steak tartare and salmon with truffle shaving from Boulevard
Restaurant, Stags Leap Wine, and Henriot Champagne and the refreshing
cocktail made with Grey Goose Vodka.
The terrarium-like glass-filled jar of ham and parsley tureen
with foi grois, rye crumble, mustard, arugula and mustard blossom from Menton Restaurant (this would make a great appetizer or accompaniment
to cocktails at a home party.
Morgan’s in the Desert at La Quinta Resort & Club’s Jimmy
Schmidt served up delicious Jerusalem artichoke chanterelle salad with
hazelnuts, Parmesan cheese/paprika emulsion.
Morgan's
Nora Pouillon’s Restaurant
Nora, a champion of organic and local food, cooked up the tastiest, tiny
burgers made with Ecopia Farms teeny lettuce and herbs and Ayrshire Farm’s
grass fed, heritage-breed beef.
Fantastic taste.
Farallon
Restaurant served up a culinary confection of almond cake, coconut, sweet
and crisp fried almonds, rich yet light chocolate glaze and caramelized mascarpone
that was just shy of sinful.
JBF shout out to
The Dessert Professional, Genevieve Sawyer who, in the true culinary tradition
of sharing with love, pointed me to some news goodies in the press room and
allowed me to power up easily. Thanks!
The annual James Beard Foundation Awards honor the best and
the brightest talents in the food and beverage industries, celebrating
outstanding achievement in each of the following categories: Restaurant and
Chef, Restaurant Design and Graphics, Books, Broadcast and New Media, and
Journalism, as well as several special achievement awards. Each category has an
individual Awards Committee made up of industry professionals who volunteer
their time to oversee the policies, procedures, and selection of judges for
their respective Awards program.
