The 18-year jinx continues. Minutes ago, Paul Qui of Uchiko in Austin was named the Best Chef in Southwest by the James Beard Foundation. Qui beat out Bruno Davaillon of the Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek, Bruce Auden of Biga on the Banks in San Antonio, Kevin Binkley at Binkley’s Restaurant in Cave Creek, Arizona, Jennifer Jasinski of Rioja in Denver, and Hugo Ortega of Hugo’s in Houston. Only two Dallas chefs have won this award: Stephan Pyles (Routh Street Café) in 1991, and Dean Fearing (The Mansion) in 1994. The only good news I have for locals is Tre Wilcox of Marquee Grill is the only Texan cooking at the gala.
UPDATE: I have posted the complete list of2012 James Beard Foundation Awards below.
2012 JAMES BEARD FOUNDATION AWARDS
WINNERS ANNOUNCED
NEW YORK, NY (May 8, 2012) – 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. 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. Winners of the Foundation’s annual Book, Broadcast, and Journalism Awards were presented on May 4, 2012, at the ceremony and dinner at Gotham Hall in New York City, co-hosted by celebrity chef Michael Symon and CBS News Correspondent Martha Teichner. A complete list of all award winners can be found at the end of this release, as well as at jamesbeard.org.
Highlights from this year’s list of winners include:
Outstanding Chef: Daniel Humm (Eleven Madison Park, NYC)
Outstanding Restaurant: Boulevard (San Francisco)
Rising Star Chef: Christina Tosi (Momofuku Milk Bar, NYC)
Best New Restaurant: Next (Chicago)
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)
Humanitarian of the Year: Charlie Trotter (Chef and Restaurateur, Chicago)
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.
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. All award winners receive a certificate and a medallion engraved with the James Beard Foundation Awards insignia. There are no cash prizes.
Highlights from the Book, Broadcast and Journalism Awards announced on Friday, May 4, 2012, at the Awards dinner at Gotham Hall in New York City included:
Cookbook of the Year: Modernist Cuisine by Nathan Myhrvold with Chris Young and Maxime Bilet (The Cooking Lab)
Cookbook Hall of Fame: Laurie Colwin, Home Cooking and More Home Cooking
Publications of the Year: Food52, Amanda Hesser and Merrill Stubbs and Darra Goldstein, Gastronomica
MFK Fisher Distinguished Writing Award: John T. Edge, Saveur “BBQ Nation”
Radio Show or Audio Webcast: Fear of Frying: Culinary Nightmares, Host: Nina Barrett, Area: WBEZ, Producer: Jason Marck
Television Program, In Studio or Fixed Location: Chopped, Host: Ted Allen and Judges, Network: Food Network, Producers: Linda Lea, Dave Noll, and Vivian Sorenson
Television Program, On Location: Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern, Host: Andrew Zimmern, Network: Travel Channel, Producer: Andrew Zimmern
Media Personality/Host: Ted Allen, Show: Chopped, Food Network
Food Coverage in a General Interest Publication: Lesley Bargar Suter, Los Angeles, “Chinese Food in L.A.,” “It’s Time for Breakfast in L.A.” “Food Lovers Guide”
Craig Claiborne Distinguished Restaurant Review: Alan Richman, GQ, “The Very Tasty Liberation of Paris,” “I Heart SF,” “Diner for Schmucks”
Group Food Blog: The Salt: NPR’s Food Blog, Maria Godoy, npr.org/blogs/thesalt
Individual Food Blog: Poor Man’s Feast, Elissa Altman, Poormansfeast.com “Craving the Food of Depravity”
The 2012 James Beard Foundation Awards are presented with support by the following partners: Premier Sponsors: All-Clad Metalcrafters, Green & Black’s Organic Chocolate, Lenox Tableware and Gifts, Mercedes-Benz; Supporting Sponsors: Campari, The Coca-Cola Company, Delta Air Lines, Jade Range LLC, Lavazza, Southern Wine & Spirits of New York, Stella Artois®, Urbanspoon; Gala Reception Sponsors: Acqua Panna® Natural Spring Water, Ecolab, Pernod Ricard USA, Rums of Puerto Rico, S.Pellegrino® Sparkling Natural Mineral Water; and with additional support from Chefwear, St Giles Hotel New York, and Visa Signature®.
About the James Beard Foundation
Founded in 1986, the James Beard Foundation is dedicated to celebrating, preserving, and nurturing America’s culinary heritage and diversity in order to elevate the appreciation of our culinary excellence. A cookbook author and teacher with an encyclopedic knowledge about food, James Beard, who died in 1985, was a champion of American cuisine. He helped educate and mentor generations of professional chefs and food enthusiasts. Today, the Beard Foundation continues in the same spirit by administering a number of diverse programs that include educational initiatives, food industry awards, scholarships to culinary schools, and publications, and by maintaining the historic James Beard House in New York City’s Greenwich Village as a “performance space” for visiting chefs. For more information, please visit jamesbeard.org. Find insights on food at the James Beard Foundation’s blog Delights & Prejudices. Join the James Beard Foundation on Facebook. Follow the James Beard Foundation on Twitter.
2012 James Beard Foundation Awards Winners
2012 James Beard Foundation Book Awards
Presented by Green & Black’s Organic Chocolate
For cookbooks published in English in 2011. Winners will be announced on May 4, 2012.
Cookbook of the Year
Modernist Cuisine
by Nathan Myhrvold with Chris Young and Maxime Bilet
(The Cooking Lab)
Cookbook Hall of Fame
Laurie Colwin
Home Cooking and More Home Cooking
American Cooking
A New Turn in the South: Southern Flavors Reinvented for Your Kitchen
by Hugh Acheson
(Clarkson Potter)
Baking and Dessert
Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams at Home
by Jeni Britton Bauer
(Artisan)
Beverage
Bitters: A Spirited History of a Classic Cure-All, with Cocktails, Recipes, & Formulas
by Brad Thomas Parsons
(Ten Speed Press)
Cooking from a Professional Point of View
Modernist Cuisine
by Nathan Myhrvold with Chris Young and Maxime Bilet
(The Cooking Lab)
General Cooking
Ruhlman’s Twenty
by Michael Ruhlman
(Chronicle Books)
Focus on Health
Super Natural Every Day: Well-Loved Recipes from My Natural Foods Kitchen
by Heidi Swanson
(Ten Speed Press)
International
The Food of Morocco
by Paula Wolfert
(Ecco)
Photography
Notes from a Kitchen: A Journey Inside Culinary Obsession
Artist/Photographer: Jeff Scott
(Tatroux)
Reference and Scholarship
Turning the Tables: Restaurants and the Rise of the American Middle Class, 1880–1920
by Andrew P. Haley
(The University of North Carolina Press)
Single Subject
All About Roasting
by Molly Stevens
(W.W. Norton & Company)
Writing and Literature
Blood, Bones & Butter: The Inadvertent Education of a Reluctant Chef
by Gabrielle Hamilton
(Random House)
2012 James Beard Foundation Design and Graphics Awards
Outstanding Restaurant Design
For the best restaurant design or renovation in North America since January 1, 2009
Design Firm: Bentel & Bentel Architects
Designers: Paul Bentel, Carol Bentel, Peter Bentel and Susan Nagle
Project: Le Bernardin, New York City
Outstanding Restaurant Graphics
For the best restaurant graphics executed in North America since January 1, 2009
Design Firm: Pandiscio Co.
Designer: Richard Pandiscio
Project: The Americano at Hôtel Americano, New York City
2012 James Beard Foundation Journalism Awards
For articles published in English in 2011.
Publications of the Year
Food52
Amanda Hesser and Merrill Stubbs
Gastronomica
Darra Goldstein
Cooking, Recipes, or Instruction
Anna Thomas
EatingWell
“The Soup for Life”
Environment, Food Politics, and Policy
Ben Paynter
Fast Company
“The Sweet Science”
Food Coverage in a Food-Focused Publication
Saveur
James Oseland
Food Coverage in a General-Interest Publication
Lesley Bargar Suter
Los Angeles
“Chinese Food in L.A.,” “It’s Time for Breakfast in L.A,” “Food Lovers Guide”
Food Culture and Travel
Fuchsia Dunlop
The Financial Times
“Global Menu: Kicking Up a Stink”
Food-Related Columns
Lettie Teague
The Wall Street Journal
On Wine: Lettie Teague: “Drink, Memory: How to Remember that Wine;” “In Praise of the One-Cabernet Lunch;” “May I recommend: Lessons of Great Sommeliers”
Group Food Blog
The Salt: NPR’s Food Blog
Maria Godoy
Health and Well-Being
Maureen O’Hagan
The Seattle Times
“Feeling the Weight: The Emotional Battle to Control Kids’ Diet”
Humor
Brett Martin
GQ
“The Hangover Part III”
Individual Food Blog
Poor Man’s Feast
Elissa Altman
Poormansfeast.com
“Craving the Food of Depravity”
Personal Essay
Cal Fussman
Esquire.com
“Drinking at 1,300 Ft: A 9/11 Story About Wine and Wisdom”
Profile
Susan Choi
Food & Wine
“The Spice Wizardry of Lior Lev Sercarz”
Visual Storytelling
Landon Nordeman
Saveur
“Soul of Sicily,” “BBQ Nation,” “Heart of the Valley”
Wine, Spirits, and Other Beverages
Sarah Karnasiewicz
Imbibe
“Fizzy Business”
Craig Claiborne Distinguished Restaurant Review Award
Alan Richman
GQ
“The Very Tasty Liberation of Paris,” “I Heart SF,” “Diner for Schmucks”
MFK Fisher Distinguished Writing Award
John T. Edge
Saveur
“BBQ Nation”
2012 James Beard Foundation Broadcast Media Awards
Presented by Lenox Tableware and Gifts
For television, webcast, and radio programs aired in 2011.
Radio Show/Audio Webcast
Fear of Frying: Culinary Nightmares
Host: Nina Barrett
Area: WBEZ
Producer: Jason Marck
Special/Documentary (Television or Video Webcast)
A Matter of Taste: Serving Up Paul Liebrandt
Network: HBO
Producers: Sally Rowe, Rachel Mills, and Alan Oxman
Television Program, In Studio or Fixed Location
Chopped
Host: Ted Allen and Judges
Network: Food Network
Producers: Linda Lea, Dave Noll, and Vivian Sorenson
Television Program, On Location
Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern
Host: Andrew Zimmern
Network: Travel Channel
Producer: Andrew Zimmern
Television Segment
CBS News Sunday Morning
Host: Martha Teichner
Network: CBS
Producers: Lauren Barnello, Jon Carras, Edward Forgotson, Patrick Lee, and David Small
Video Webcast
eatTV with Jamie Tiampo
Eattv.com
Host: Jamie Tiampo
Producers: Suzanne Glickstein, Jimmy McCoy, and Jamie Tiampo
Media Personality/Host (Television or Video Webcast)
Host: Ted Allen
Show: Chopped
Network: Food Network
2012 James Beard Foundation Restaurant and Chef Awards
Best Chefs in America
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 5 years. The 3 most recent years must have been spent in the region where the chef is presently working.
Best Chef: Great Lakes (IL, IN, MI, OH)
Bruce Sherman
North Pond
Chicago
Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic (D.C., DE, MD, NJ, PA, VA)
Maricel Presilla
Cucharamama
Hoboken, NJ
Best Chef: Midwest (IA, KS, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD, WI)
Tory Miller
L’Etoile
Madison, WI
Best Chef: New York City (Five Boroughs)
Michael Anthony
Gramercy Tavern
Best Chef: Northeast (CT, MA, ME, NH, NY STATE, RI, VT)
Tim Cushman
O Ya
Boston
Best Chef: Northwest (AK, ID, MT, OR, WA, WY)
Matt Dillon
Sitka & Spruce
Seattle
Best Chef: Pacific (CA, HI)
Matt Molina
Osteria Mozza
Los Angeles
Best Chef: South (AL, AR, FL, LA, MS)
Chris Hastings
Hot and Hot Fish Club
Birmingham, AL
Best Chef: Southeast (GA, KY, NC, SC, TN, WV)
Hugh Acheson
Five and Ten
Athens, GA
Linton Hopkins
Restaurant Eugene
Atlanta
Best Chef: Southwest (AZ, CO, NM, NV, OK, TX, UT)
Paul Qui
Uchiko
Austin, TX
Best New Restaurant
Presented by Mercedes-Benz
A restaurant opened in 2011 that already displays excellence in food, beverage, and service and is likely to have a significant impact on the industry in years to come.
Next
Chicago
Outstanding Wine, Beer or Spirits Professional
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 5 years.
Paul Grieco
Terroir
NYC
Outstanding Wine Program
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 5 years.
No. 9 Park
Boston
Outstanding Bar Program
Presented by Campari
A restaurant that displays and encourages excellence in cocktail, spirit, and/or beer service through a well-presented drink list, a knowledgeable staff, and efforts to educate customers about beverages.
PDT
NYC
Outstanding Service
Presented by Stella Artois
A restaurant that demonstrates high standards of hospitality and service. Candidates must have been in operation for at least the past 5 years.
La Grenouille
NYC
Outstanding Pastry Chef
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 5 years.
Mindy Segal
Mindy’s Hot Chocolate
Chicago
Outstanding Restaurateur
A working restaurateur who sets high national standards in restaurant operations and entrepreneurship. Candidates must have been in the restaurant business for at least 10 years. Candidates must not have been nominated for a James Beard Foundation chef award in the past 10 years.
Tom Douglas
Tom Douglas Restaurants
Seattle
Rising Star Chef of the Year
Presented by Jade Range
A chef age 30 or younger who displays an impressive talent and who is likely to have a significant impact on the industry in years to come.
Christina Tosi
Momofuku Milk Bar
NYC
Outstanding Restaurant
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 10 or more consecutive years.
Boulevard
San Francisco
Outstanding Chef
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 chefs for at least the past 5 years.
Daniel Humm
Eleven Madison Park
NYC
2012 James Beard Foundation America’s Classics
Presented by Coca-Cola
The Fry Bread House
4140 North 7th Avenue, Phoenix
Owner: Cecelia Miller
Nora’s Fish Creek Inn
5600 West Highway 22, Wilson, WY
Owners: Nora Tygum, Trace Tygum, and Kathryn Tygum Taylor
St. Elmo Steak House
127 South Illinois St., Indianapolis
Owners: Stephen Huse and Craig Huse
Jones Bar-B-Q Diner
219 West Louisiana St., Marianna, AR
Owners: James and Betty Jones
Shady Glen
840 East Middle Turnpike, Manchester, CT
Owners: William and Annette Hoch
2012 James Beard Foundation Who’s Who of Food & Beverage in America Inductees
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
2012 James Beard Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award
Wolfgang Puck
Chef and Restaurateur
Los Angeles
2012 James Beard Foundation Humanitarian of the Year
Charlie Trotter
Chef and Restaurateur
Chicago
