2008 JAMES BEARD NOMINEES ANNOUNCED @ GFC

Nominees and special honorees for the 2008 James Beard Foundation Awards were announced today.

Once again, good luck to chef Colby Garrelts of Bluestem who was nominated in the BEST CHEF: MIDWEST category.

And this year's Lifetime Achievement Award went to Fritz Maytag for his work at Anchor Brewing Company of San Francisco and Maytag Dairy Farms in Iowa (think Bleu Cheese).

2008 James Beard Foundation Restaurant and Chef Awards

OUTSTANDING RESTAURATEUR AWARD

Presented by Waterford Wedgwood
A working restaurateur, actively involved in multiple restaurants in the United States, who has set uniformly high national standards as a creative force in the kitchen and/or in restaurant operations. Candidates must have been in the restaurant business for at least ten years.

Joe Bastianich/Mario Batali
  Babbo Ristorante e Enoteca
  NYC
Tom Douglas
  Tom Douglas Restaurants
  Seattle
Richard Melman
  Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises
  Chicago
Wolfgang Puck
  The Wolfgang Puck Fine Dining Group
  Beverly Hills, CA
Jean-Georges Vongerichten
  Jean-Georges Management LLC
  NYC

OUTSTANDING CHEF AWARD

Presented by All-Clad Metalcrafters
A working chef in America whose career has set national industry standards and who has served as an inspiration to other food professionals. Candidates must have been working as a chef for at least the past five years.

Grant Achatz
  Alinea, Chicago
José Andrés
  Minibar, Washington, DC
Dan Barber
  Blue Hill, NYC
Suzanne Goin
  Lucques, Los Angeles
Frank Stitt
  Highlands Bar & Grill
  Birmingham, AL

OUTSTANDING RESTAURANT AWARD

Presented by S.Pellegrino®
A restaurant in the United states that serves as a national standard-bearer for consistent quality and excellence in food, atmosphere, and service. Candidates must have been in operation for at least ten consecutive years.

Boulevard, San Francisco
  Chef/Owner: Nancy Oakes, Owner: Pat Kuleto
Campanile, Los Angeles
  Chef/Owner: Mark Peel
Gramercy Tavern, NYC
  Owner: Danny Meyer
Jean Georges, NYC
  Chef/Owner: Jean-Georges Vongerichten
The Slanted Door, San Francisco
  Chef/Owner: Charles Phan

BEST NEW RESTAURANT

Presented by Lexus
A restaurant opened in 2007 that already displays excellence in food, beverage, and service and is likely to have a significant impact on the industry in years to come.

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

OUTSTANDING PASTRY CHEF AWARD

Presented by All-Clad Metalcrafters
A chef or baker who prepares desserts, pastries, or breads and who serves as a national standard-bearer for excellence. Candidates must have been pastry chefs or bakers for at least the past five years.

Gina DePalma
  Babbo Ristorante e Enoteca
  NYC
Pichet Ong
  P*ONG, NYC
Nicole Plue
  Redd, Yountville, CA
Elisabeth Prueitt and Chad Robertson
  Tartine Bakery
  San Francisco
Mindy Segal
  HotChocolate
  Chicago

OUTSTANDING WINE SERVICE AWARD

Presented by Waterford Crystal
A restaurant that displays and encourages excellence in wine service through a well-presented wine list, a knowledgeable staff, and efforts to educate customers about wine. Candidates must have been in operation for at least five years.

Aureole, Las Vegas
  Wine Director: Steven Geddes
Bin 36, Chicago
  Wine Director: Brian Duncan
Eleven Madison Park, NYC
  Wine Director: John Ragan
Blackberry Farm, Walland, TN
  Wine Director: Andy Chabot
Picasso, Las Vegas
  Wine Director: Robert Smith

OUTSTANDING WINE AND SPIRITS PROFESSIONAL AWARD

Presented by Southern Wine & Spirits of New York
A winemaker, brewer, or spirits professional who has had a significant impact on the wine and spirits industry nationwide. Candidates must have been in the profession for at least five years.

Dale DeGroff
  Dale DeGroff Co., Inc., NYC
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

A restaurant that demonstrates high standards of hospitality and service. Candidates must have been in operation for at least the past five years.

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

BEST CHEFS IN AMERICA

Presented by American Express®
Chefs who have set new or consistent standards of excellence in their respective regions. Each candidate may be employed by any kind of dining establishment and must have been a working chef for at least the past five years. The three most recent years must have been spent in the region where chef is presently working.

BEST CHEF: PACIFIC (CA, HI)
Douglas Keane
  Cyrus
  Healdsburg, CA
David Kinch
  Manresa
  Los Gatos, CA
David Myers
  Sona
  Los Angeles
Craig Stoll
  Delfina
  San Franciso
Michael Tusk
  Quince
  San Francisco

BEST CHEF: MID-ATLANTIC (DC, DE, MD, NJ, PA, VA)
Cathal Armstrong
  Restaurant Eve
  Alexandria, VA
Jose Garces
  Amada
  Philadelphia
Maricel Presilla
  Cucharamama
  Hoboken, NJ
Cindy Wolf
  Charleston
  Baltimore
Eric Ziebold
  CityZen
  Washington, DC

BEST CHEF: MIDWEST (IA, KS, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD, WI)
Isaac Becker
  112 Eatery
  Minneapolis
Colby Garrelts
  Bluestem
  Kansas City, MO
Tim McKee
  La Belle Vie
  Minneapolis
Alex Roberts
  Restaurant Alma
  Minneapolis
Adam Siegel
  Bartolotta's Lake Park Bistro
  Milwaukee

BEST CHEF: GREAT LAKES (IL, IN, MI, OH)
Graham Elliot Bowles
  Avenues
  Chicago
Carrie Nahabedian
  Naha
  Chicago
Bruce Sherman
  North Pond
  Chicago
Michael Symon
  Lola
  Cleveland
Alex Young
  Zingerman's Roadhouse
  Ann Arbor, MI

BEST CHEF: NEW YORK CITY (FIVE BOROUGHS)
Michael Anthony
  Gramercy Tavern
Terrance Brennan
  Picholine
David Chang
  Momofuku Ssäm Bar
Wylie Dufresne
  WD-50
Gabriel Kreuther
  The Modern

BEST CHEF: NORTHEAST (CT, MA, ME, NH, NY STATE, RI, VT)
Patrick Connolly
  Radius
  Boston
Rob Evans
  Hugo's
  Portland, ME
Clark Frasier and Mark Gaier
  Arrows
  Ogunquit, ME
Michael Leviton
  Lumière
  West Newton, MA
Marc Orfaly
  Pigalle
  Boston

BEST CHEF: NORTHWEST (AK, ID, MT, OR, WA, WY)
Scott Dolich
  Park Kitchen
  Portland, OR
Maria Hines
  Tilth
  Seattle
Holly Smith
  Café Juanita
  Kirkland, WA
Ethan Stowell
  Union
  Seattle
Jason Wilson
  Crush
  Seattle

BEST CHEF: SOUTHEAST (GA, KY, NC, SC, TN, WV)
Hugh Acheson
  Five and Ten
  Athens, GA
Arnaud Berthelier
  The Dining Room
  The Ritz-Carlton, Buckhead
  Atlanta
Linton Hopkins
  Restaurant Eugene
  Atlanta
Mike Lata
  Fig
  Charleston, SC
Robert Stehling
  Hominy Grill
  Charleston, SC

BEST CHEF: SOUTHWEST (AZ, CO, NM, NV, OK, TX, UT)
Saipin Chutima
  Lotus of Siam
  Las Vegas
Sharon Hage
  York Street
  Dallas
Ryan Hardy
  Montagna
  Aspen, CO
Lachlan Mackinnon-Patterson
  Frasca Food and Wine
  Boulder, CO
Andrew Weissman
  Restaurant Le Rêve
  San Antonio, TX

BEST CHEF: SOUTH (AL. AR, FL, LA, MS)
Zach Bell
  Café Boulud
  Palm Beach, FL
Michelle Bernstein
  Michy's
  Miami
John Currence
  City Grocery
  Oxford, MS
Chris Hastings
  Hot and Hot Fish Club
  Brimingham, AL
Douglas Rodriguez
  Ola
  Miami Beach, FL

2008 James Beard Foundation America’s Classics Awards

Bagaduce Lunch
  19 Bridge Road (Route 176), Brooksville, ME
  Owner: Judy Astbury
Bagaduce Lunch, a simple seafood shack overlooking Maine’s picturesque Bagaduce Falls, has been a summertime destination since it opened in the early 1960s. Local fishermen supply Judy Astbury, daughter of original owner Vangie Peasley, with just-caught seafood for her prized crab rolls, sweet scallops, and juicy fried clams. All that, plus sensational sides and Vangie’s homemade pies, make this a must for tourists and locals alike.

Irma’s Restaurant
  22 N. Chenevert Street, Houston
  Owner: Irma Galvan
If you want to get elected to public office in Houston, you’d better be seen at Irma’s, Irma Galvan’s downtown Houston breakfast and lunch spot that’s become a community gathering place. Among the knick-knacks, kitchy artwork, and memorabilia that plaster the walls, business honchos and blue collar workers sit side-by-side enjoying authentic, high-quality Tex-Mex dishes like breakfast soft tacos and beef and ancho chile gravy, served with Irma’s famous fruit-laced lemonade.

Maneki
  304 Sixth Avenue South, Seattle
  Owner: Jean Nakayama
With a rich history that stretches over a century—it has been around through both world wars, Japanese internment, and has even seen one of its former dishwashers become the Prime Minister of Japan—Maneki is the only surviving restaurant from Seattle’s once-bustling Japantown. Comfort food dishes like agedashi tofu and takoyaki share the menu with sushi and sashimi, satisfying homesick Japanese locals and introducing a new generation to traditional Japanese cooking.

Jumbo’s
  7501 NW 7th Avenue, Miami
  Owner: Cori Flam
Family owned for over 50 years, Jumbo’s was one of the first Miami restaurants to integrate in 1966 and was the first white-owned restaurant in the city to hire black front of the house workers. Known for its luscious fried shrimp, Jumbo’s also serves soul food favorites like oxtails and rice, chicken fried steak, and specialties named after local schools and sports teams. The neon sign that welcomes diners (24 hours a day) sums up the Jumbo’s experience with the words "a nice place for nice people."

Tufano’s Vernon Park Tap
  1073 Vernon Park Place, Chicago
  Owner: Joseph DiBuono
One of the few remnants of Chicago’s Little Italy, Tufano’s Vernon Park Tap has been owned and operated by the same family since it opened as a bar in the early 1930s. The small table in the bar’s kitchen has since expanded to include two dining rooms that are regularly packed with businessmen, police officers, families, and pre-game sports fans. The restaurant’s chalkboard menu offers diners Italian-American classics like lemon chicken, eggplant Parmesan, and fettuccini Alfredo at prices that make just about everyone a regular.

You can read more details on the James Beard website which underwent a face lift recently.

RELATED LINKS:
2007 James Beard Award Winners
Press Release
Grant Achatz: Alinea