Louisville’s iconic Highlands neighborhood starts a new culinary chapter inspired by award-winning Chef Lawrence Weeks. Weeks, a James Beard semifinalist and rising Southern culinary talent proudly announces the grand opening of Murray’s Creole Pub, a restaurant rooted in family legacy, bursting with passion, and built to honor the culinary dreams of those who came before him.
Named in tribute to his great-grandfather Lawrence Ignatius “Buzz” Murray and grandfather Lawrence Xavier Murray, Murray’s carries the dreams of two men who always aspired to run their own kitchen.
“This is more than food,” says Weeks. “It’s a tribute to the men who inspired my fire for cooking. They never got their shot to be head chefs – so I’m giving them the stage they always deserved.”
At Murray’s Creole Pub, the convivial spirit of British pub culture finds unexpected harmony with the bold, soulful cadence of Creole cuisine. Here, the comforting ritual of gathering over a pint meets the vibrant storytelling of the Southern table. With its warm and welcoming ambiance, the downstairs pub is the place to try such classic menu items as their burgers, fish & chips and tikka masala curry.
Chef Lawrence Weeks, James Beard semifinalist and rising Southern culinary talent, has just opened Murray’s Creole Pub in Louisville. Named in tribute to Chef Weeks’ great-grandfather, the warm and welcoming atmosphere offers a menu ranging from casual pub classics to soulful southern and Creole flavors. Murray’s Creole Pub is now open at 📍1576 Bardstown Road. 🕰️ Lunch service begins at 12 p.m 🕰️ Dinner service from 5:00 p.m to 10:00 p.m. 🕰️ Happy hour from 3:30 p.m – 5 p.m. Dishes pictured in the video: ▫️Acadian Oysters ▫️Scotch Eggs & Olives ▫️Fish & Chips ▫️Chicken Tikka Masala ▫️Coconut Curry-lentil ▫️Parmesan Fries ▫️Sticky Toffee Pudding-butterscotch (don’t skip! 😍) #newinlouisville#creole#louisvilleeats#louisvillerestaurants#louisvilleky
Upstairs, the mood shifts. The dining room evokes a more refined rhythm – intimate lighting, thoughtful plating, and a menu that leans into fine dining without losing its soulful roots. Oysters and caviar service lead the way for an experiential pub style menu – reimagined to take you on a culinary journey like never before. It’s a dual experience under one roof and an ode to the art of Southern hospitality, plated with intention and poured with grace.
Murray’s Creole Pub is open to the public on Dec. 12th at 1576 Bardstown Rd., Louisville, KY. Lunch service begins at 12 p.m with dinner service from 5:00 p.m to 10:00 p.m. Happy hour from 3:30 p.m – 5 p.m. Reservations are available now on Resy and walk-ins are welcome.
The James Beard Foundation® is proud to announce the winners of the 2025 James Beard Media Awards, presented by Capital One, honoring the nation’s top food authors, broadcast producers, hosts, journalists, podcasters, and social media content creators. The full list of winners, which includes Book, Broadcast Media, and Journalism, can be found below and on the James Beard Foundation website.
James Beard Award winner®, Emmy-nominated producer, TV host, and New York Times best-selling author Padma Lakshmi hosted the 2025 Media Awards ceremony on Saturday, June 14, 2025 at Columbia College Chicago. Presenters also included luminary food media personalities such as Nyesha Arrington, Molly Baz, Rose Levy Beranbaum, Dr. Jessica B. Harris, Francis Lam, Adam Richman, Alexander Smalls, Andrew Zimmern, and others.
“Congratulations to the 2025 Media Award winners, whose compelling narratives shape our food culture and set the standard of excellence in culinary storytelling and reporting,” said Clare Reichenbach, CEO, James Beard Foundation. “We’re honored to celebrate phenomenal work that will surely impact how people cook, think about food, and engage with our shared culinary landscape for years to come.”
2025 marks a notable milestone: the 35th anniversary of the James Beard Awards. This year’s ceremonies commemorate the transformative role the Awards have played in recognizing excellence and shaping the evolution of American food culture, while reaffirming the Foundation’s commitment to leading and supporting the industry for years to come.
“The Media Awards celebrate all those who expand our understanding of food through exceptional storytelling thateducates, entertains, and inspires,” said Dawn Padmore, VP of Awards, James Beard Foundation. “A heartfelt thanks to our subcommittee members and judges for their dedication and the thoughtful consideration they put into these awards. Their time and expertise are deeply appreciated.”
The James Beard Foundation began honoring excellence in food media more than 30 years ago, with the first Book Awards presented in 1990. This year’s Book Awards recognize cookbooks and other nonfiction food- or beverage-related books that were published in the U.S. in 2024. Books from foreign publishers must bear a 2024 U.S. copyright date and/or must have been distributed in the U.S. during 2024.
“Congratulations to this year’s winners, who have taken us on journeys through kitchens and communities worldwide,” said Genevieve Villamora, chair of the James Beard Foundation’s Book Awards program. “From technical mastery to cultural storytelling and preservation—these books represent the very best in culinary publishing, proving that great food writing comes in many forms.”
The 2025 James Beard Book Award winners are:
Baking and Desserts: Books with recipes focused on the art and craft of baking, pastries, and desserts, both sweet and savory items, including ingredients, techniques, equipment, and traditions
Beverage without Recipes: Books without recipes that focus on beverages, such as cocktails, beer, wine, spirits, coffee, tea, or juices; or books that cover these subject areas where recipes are not the focus of cooking, not just a single topic, technique, or region.
Bread: Books with recipes focused on the art and craft of making bread, including ingredients, techniques, equipment, and traditions.
Richard Hart Bread: Intuitive Sourdough Baking by Richard Hart, Henrietta Lovell, and Laurie Woolever (Clarkson Potter)
Food Issues and Advocacy: Books that focus on investigative journalism, food policy, food advocacy, deep dives, and critical analysis of the changing social landscape around food.
General: Books with recipes that address a broad scope of cooking, not just a single topic, technique, or region, and are accessible to a general audience.
International: Books with recipes focused on presenting cuisines of the world in their cultural context: their history, distinctive characteristics, and techniques.
The Balkan Kitchen: Recipes and Stories from the Heart of the Balkans, Irina Janakievska (Quadrille)
Literary Writing: Narrative nonfiction books, including memoirs, culinary travel, culinary tourism, biography, reflections on food in a cultural context, and personal essays.
Professional and Restaurant: Books written by a culinary professional or restaurant chef with recipes that may include advanced cooking techniques, the use of specialty ingredients and professional equipment, including culinary arts textbooks.
More information about the Book Awards eligibility and criteria can be viewed here.
BROADCAST MEDIA AWARDS
The Broadcast Media Awards were established in 1993 to recognize nonfiction works in English that exemplify excellence and keep with the mission and values of the James Beard Foundation. This year’s winners spotlight food and beverage topics appearing widely for the first time in the U.S. in 2024 across digital and terrestrial media—including radio, television broadcasts, podcasts, documentaries, online sites, and social media.
“We’re honored to recognize those whose thoughtful production and authentic storytelling bring our dynamic food culture to life,” said Cynthia Graubart, chair of the James Beard Foundation’s Broadcast Media Awards program. “Congratulations to the 2025 winners for offering a unique lens into the people, trends, and traditions that shape how we experience food and dining.”
The 2025 James Beard Broadcast Media Award winners are:
Audio Programming: This award recognizes excellence in a food- or beverage-related radio or podcast program.
Loading Dock Talks with Chef Preeti Mistry
“Cream Pie with Telly Justice” Airs on: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and other podcast platforms
Audio Reporting: This award recognizes excellence in reporting and narratives about food and/or food issues in radio or podcasts. This work is issue or deadline-driven, investigative, topical, or timely in nature.
Post Reports
“Bacon: The Best-Kept Secret in Washington” Airs on: Post Reports
Commercial Media: This award recognizes excellence in food- or beverage-related media including video production, audio programming, or other media that is clearly developed and marketed with prominent visual branding, is sponsored or commercially funded, and/or contains paid advertising. It may be broadcast, streamed, accessed online, or through an app.
La Mera Mera Tamalera, Airs on: YouTube
Documentary Visual Media: This award recognizes excellence in a food- or beverage-related documentary that is at least 15 minutes long.
MARCELLA, Airs on: PBS American Masters
Docuseries Visual Media: This award recognizes excellence in a food- or beverage-related docuseries.
World Eats Bread, Airs on: National Geographic Channel
Instructional Visual Media: This award recognizes excellence in a food- or beverage-related video production with instruction and/or education as its primary intent, whether broadcast, streamed, accessed online, or through an app.
G.O.A.T., Airs on: MasterClass
Lifestyle Visual Media: New in 2025, this category honors excellence in food-centric talk shows and lifestyle programs that explore food or beverage alongside broader societal and cultural themes. Entries can range from interview-based shows featuring chefs and food personalities to those that delve into food history, science, and culture. This year, submissions to the Competition Visual Media category were included for consideration within the Lifestyle Visual Media category.
Relish, Airs on: PBS, Passport, TPT, TPT-2 and YouTube
Social Media Account: This award recognizes excellence in a food- or beverage-related social media account or platform.
Little Fat Boy, Airs on: Instagram, TikTok, Substack and YouTube
Travel Visual Media: New in 2025, this category celebrates excellence in food- or beverage-focused travel shows. Entries should showcase the unique culinary culture and traditions of a specific region or country, highlighting the connection between people, food, regions, and communities.
Drink: A Look Inside the Glass, Airs on: Apple TV, Prime Video, Tubi, and Roku
More information about Broadcast Media Awards eligibility and criteria can be viewed here.
JOURNALISM AWARDS
The Journalism Awards were established by the James Beard Foundation in 1992. This year’s Journalism Awards recognize works in English and cover food- or drink-related content which were published—or self-published—in 2024 in any medium.
“The reporting by the 2025 Journalism Award winners shows so poignantly how food plays an integral role in every aspect of our lives,” said Rochelle Oliver, chair of the James Beard Foundation’s Journalism Awards program. “Thank you to these journalists for their dedication to deepening the conversation around culture, history, community, and sense of identity from a culinary lens.”
The 2025 James Beard Journalism Award winners are:
Beverage: This award recognizes distinctive style, thorough knowledge, plainspoken prose, and innovative approach in a single article on alcoholic or non-alcoholic beverages.
“Want to Make Spirits in Thailand? Good Luck.” by Craig Sauers, Punch
Columns and Newsletters: This award recognizes the work of an individual or team/group that demonstrates thought-provoking opinion and a compelling style on food- or drink-related topics.
“The farm bill hall of shame”; “The essential workers missing from the farm bill”; “Tribal nations want more control over their food supply” by Teresa Cotsirilos, Bridget Huber, and Claire Kelloway, Food & Environment Reporting Network and Mother Jones
Craig Claiborne Distinguished Criticism Award: This award recognizes discerning criticism or commentary that contributes to the larger discourse on food, drink, and related topics. An entry consists of three pieces that can include restaurant reviews, cultural critiques, or analyses that demonstrate thought-provoking opinion and compelling style.
“New tasting menu dinners at Honeysuckle Provisions are provocative and delicious”; “The enduring, confusing, and always delicious Octopus Cart is still puffing along after 34 years”; “Loch Bar, a new high-end seafood spot on Broad, swings big and misses” by Craig LaBan, Philadelphia Inquirer
Dining and Travel: This award recognizes exemplary and comprehensive service journalism that relies on both critical voice and thorough research to bring a variety of dining options into perspective, whether in a single city, a region, or a country.
“Gastro Obscura’s Feast” by Anne Ewbank, Diana Hubbell, and Sam O’Brien, Gastro Obscura
Feature Reporting: This award recognizes excellence for engaging writing and in-depth reporting in food and/or drink features.
“We Need to Talk About Trader Joe’s” by Adam Reiner
TASTE
Food Coverage in a General Interest Publication: This award recognizes excellence in food and/or drink writing, reporting, and presentation in a general interest site or print publication. Judges evaluate each entry for overall breadth and depth of coverage.
The Bitter Southerner
Foodways: This award recognizes the importance of culture and history in food journalism. Entries in this category explore the connection between what we eat and who we are, with an emphasis on reporting.
“As Detroit sees a future in urban agriculture, some pushback harkens to a dark past” by Lyndsay C. Green, Detroit Free Press
Health and Wellness: This award recognizes excellence in food- and/or drink-related health and wellness coverage. Entries explore a variety of topics that may include (but are not limited to) addiction, aging, chronic disease, diet, mental health, mind-body connection, nutrition, and reproductive health.
“Florida Banned Farmworker Heat Protections. A Groundbreaking Partnership Offers a Solution.” Grey Moran. Civil Eats
Home Cooking: This award recognizes excellence in service journalism with a practical focus for the home cook. The award honors imaginative and substantive entries that use fresh, innovative approaches—both written and visual—to illuminate cooking methods, ingredients, and recipes.
“The Art and Science of Kimchi” by Andrea Geary, Cook’s Illustrated
Investigative Reporting: This award recognizes excellence in investigative reporting on environmental, political, business, or policy issues regarding food and/or drink.
“The North Koreans behind global seafood”; “The Whistleblower” by Ian Urbina and the Staff of The Outlaw Ocean Project, The Outlaw Ocean Project and The New Yorker
Jonathan Gold Local Voice Award: This award recognizes the work of an individual who engages readers through enterprising food and dining coverage in a specific region, which also displays versatility in form, including reviews, profiles, cooking, quick hits, and hard news reporting.
“Etta’s Five Bankruptcies Have Left a Collective Mess”; “White Sox Fans Came for the Losses, Stayed for the Milkshakes”; “Namasteak, USA” by Ashok Selvam, Eater Chicago
MFK Fisher Distinguished Writing Award: This award recognizes a single article of exceptional literary merit on the subject of food and/or drink published in any medium.
“The City that Rice Built” by Jeff Gordinier and George McCalman, Food & Wine
Narrative Photography: New in 2025, this award recognizes exemplary storytelling through the use of photography within food culture. An entry is composed of images from one published piece that captures a visual narrative with skill, perspective, and style.
“The Only Constant is Chuck’s” by Rory Doyle (Self-published)
Entries for the 2024 James Beard Book Awards were accepted for all cookbooks and other nonfiction food and beverage books published in the U.S. in 2023. Books from foreign publishers were eligible if they bore a 2023 U.S. copyright date or were distributed in the U.S. during 2023.
This year’s winners, announced tonight at Columbia College, were:
Baking and Desserts Dark Rye and Honey Cake: Festival Baking from Belgium, the Heart of the Low Countries Regula Ysewijn (Weldon Owen)
Beverage with Recipes Slow Drinks: A Field Guide to Foraging and Fermenting Seasonal Sodas, Botanical Cocktails, Homemade Wines, and More Danny Childs (Hardie Grant North America)
Beverage without Recipes Agave Spirits: The Past, Present, and Future of Mezcals Gary Paul Nabhan and David Suro Piñera (W. W. Norton & Company)
Food Issues and Advocacy Resilient Kitchens: American Immigrant Cooking in a Time of Crisis: Essays and Recipes Philip Gleissner and Harry Eli Kashdan (Rutgers University Press)
General Start Here: Instructions for Becoming a Better Cook Sohla El-Waylly (Alfred A. Knopf)
International The World Central Kitchen Cookbook José Andrés and World Central Kitchen with Sam Chapple-Sokol (Clarkson Potter)
Literary Writing The Migrant Chef: The Life and Times of Lalo García Laura Tillman (W. W. Norton & Company)
Reference, History, and Scholarship White Burgers, Black Cash: Fast Food from Black Exclusion to Exploitation Naa Oyo A. Kwate (University of Minnesota Press)
Restaurant and Professional Fish Butchery: Mastering The Catch, Cut, And Craft Josh Niland (Hardie Grant Books)
Single Subject Pasta Every Day: Make It, Shape It, Sauce It, Eat It Meryl Feinstein (Hachette Book Group)
U.S. Foodways Love Japan: Recipes from Our Japanese American Kitchen Aaron Israel and Sawako Okochi with Gabriella Gershenson (Ten Speed Press)
Vegetable-Focused Cooking Tenderheart: A Cookbook About Vegetables and Unbreakable Family Bonds Hetty Lui McKinnon (Alfred A. Knopf)
Visuals The Book of Sichuan Chili Crisp Yudi Echevarria (Ten Speed Press)
Cookbook Hall of Fame
Pierre Thiam
Emerging Voice Mayumu: Filipino American Desserts Remixed Abi Balingit (HarperCollins)
Celebrate this year’s James Beard Awards® presented by Capital One, kicking off on Thursday, June 6 and extending through Tuesday, June 11. This celebratory weekend is packed with an vast array of intimate and grand-scale events, featuring special menus, exclusive out-of-town chef and bartender collaborations, educational sessions, and more. With one of the strongest lineups of public events since the arrival of the James Beard Awards® in Chicago in 2015, the weekend promises to be one of the most lively celebrations of the city’s dynamic dining scene this year.
Recognized as one of the nation’s most prestigious honors, the James Beard Awards celebrate excellence in the culinary and food media industries, and broader food system. They also honor individuals who demonstrate a commitment to racial and gender equity, community, sustainability, and a culture where all can thrive.
Co-hosts Choose Chicago and Illinois Restaurant Association champion the city’s vibrant hospitality community year-round, but this weekend provides a particularly proud moment. Open to the public, 2024 festivities include:
THURSDAY, JUNE 6
Mordecai’s James Beard Special Menu with Cocktail Pairings
Thursday, June 6th – Monday, June 10th
5:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Mordecai – 3632 North Clark Street, Chicago IL 60613
In celebration of the James Beard Awards, Mordecai will host a special James Beard menu with cocktail pairings in honor of the ceremony and James Beard Foundation from Thursday, June 6th – Monday, June 10th. Chef Djibril Webb has chosen two recipes from the James Beard Cookbook and Mordecai’s Bar Manager, Rena Long, created special cocktails to pair perfectly with each dish. The menu includes: Stuffed Little Neck Clams set to pair with the Vintage Mordecai Martini and the Breaded Pork Chop with Dill Caper Gravy paired with a cocktail featuring a coconut fat-washed Benriach 10, Bittermens Tepache pineapple, burnt coconut palm sugar, sfumato, and coriander bitters. A portion of the proceeds from each of the dishes and cocktails (sold a la carte) will be donated to the James Beard Foundation.
FRIDAY, JUNE 7
Celebration of Old-World Wines with Terraneo Merchants
Friday, June 7th, 2024
4:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Heritage Restaurant & Caviar Bar – 2700 W Chicago Ave, Chicago, IL 60622
A two-part celebration with Sasha and Drue from Terraneo. To begin a two-part celebration, Heritage Restaurant & Caviar Bar will host a Happy Hour Take-over from 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm to sample a variety of wine with Sasha and Drue from Terraneo Merchants. All wines will be happy hour priced. They will provide tastes and an in-depth dive with those curious to know more. The event will feature happy hour bites and plates with a Georgian Twist! Reservations are strongly suggested, and open to the public. For the second half of the celebration, the restaurant will pour many bottles of Georgian wine to be passed and many toasts by Sasha and Drue during a traditional Georgian Supra Feast from 6:00 – 8:00 pm.
In the heart of Chicago’s Magnificent Mile, luxury boutique hotel Pendry Chicago’s rooftop cocktail haven, Château Carbide, will welcome the 2024 James Beard Award nominee (Outstanding Wine & Other Beverages Program) Strong Water Anaheim for a bar takeover 24 stories above the city. Operated by husband-and-wife duo Ying Chang and Robert Adamson, Strong Water Anaheim has gained nationwide recognition for its nautical-theme “tiki-easy” with rum-based libations, which transport guests onto a sunken ship embarking on an immersive tiki experience. Ying and Robert’s team will be on-site at the historic Art Deco Carbide & Carbon Building shaking up a selection of fan-favorite cocktails from the menu of the James Beard Award nominated bar.
The Bartender’s Bookshelf: Toby Maloney & The Violet Hour host Danny Childs, Slow Drinks
7:30 pm -12:00 am
The Violet Hour – 1520 N Damen Ave, Chicago, IL 60622
James Beard Award-winning author and barman Toby Maloney will welcome Danny Childs, author of Slow Drinks 2024 James Beard Media Award nominee (Beverage Book with Recipes) to The Violet Hour for “The Bartender’s Bookshelf.” The evening will be dedicated to showcasing the talent of the James Beard Media Awards nominee. Together with The Violet Hour team, ethnobotanist Danny has crafted a specialty menu that pulls recipes and inspiration from Slow Drinks, his acclaimed guide to foraging and fermenting seasonal sodas, botanical cocktails, homemade wines, and more.
Throughout the night, signed copies of Slow Drinks will be available for purchase on-site with the help of the local Chicago bookstore, The Book Cellar. The Violet Hour will open its doors to the public, inviting local cocktail enthusiasts to meet Danny and Toby and grab a drink from the collaborative menu and a signed copy of the book while supplies last.
Friday, Saturday, Sunday @ Sportsman’s Club
9:00 pm – 2:00 am
Sportsman’s Club – 948 N Western Avenue, Chicago, IL 60622
No reservations required
2023 James Beard Award winner for Outstanding Restaurant, Philadelphia-based Friday, Saturday, Sunday, will take over Sportsman’s Club’s bar. Beginning at 9:00 pm, FSS head bartender Paul MacDonald will showcase some of the restaurant’s signature drinks in addition to a few one-night-only creations. This event is first come, first served. No reservations.
SATURDAY, JUNE 8
Cocktail for a Cause at Bar Mar & Bazaar Meat by José Andrés
Saturday, June 8th – Monday, June 10th 2024
All Day
Bar Mar & Bazaar Meat by José Andrés – 120 N Upper Wacker Dr, Chicago, IL 60606
Sip for good! In celebration of and a show of commitment to the James Beard Awards in Chicago, Bar Mar by José Andrés and Bazaar Meat by José Andrés will donate a portion of proceeds from each Salt Air Margarita sold from Saturday, June 8 through Monday, June 11 to the James Beard Foundation’s Women’s Leadership Programs. Whether a stop in during the energetic weekend or refreshment just before the ceremony at the Lyric, José’s signature margarita is the perfect way to cocktail for a great cause.
Summer Kickoff Party at Baobing!
1:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Baobing at Duck Duck Goat – 857 W Fulton Market, Chicago, IL 60607
No reservation required
Chef Stephanie Izard at Baobing, her Taiwanese-inspired walk-up window next to Duck Duck Goat, will offer cocktails and ice cream sundaes to kick off summer!
Under the Influence: How Dining Trends are Shaping Drink Choices– A Panel Hosted by the James Beard Foundation®
2:00 pm – 3:30 pm
Biân – 600 W Chicago Ave Suite 001, Chicago, IL 60654
Leaders in restaurants, bars, and hospitality, as well as beverage producers, will convene to talk about how dining trends, menu creation, and consumption shape how consumers select their beverages. Kevin Boehm, Chairman and Co-Founder, Biân; Co-CEO and Co-Founder, Boka Restaurant Group; and 2019 James Beard Award winner for Outstanding Restaurateur will host the panel alongside Tahiirah Habibi and Richy Petrina, James Beard Awards Committee Members. Rodney Williams, James Beard Foundation Trustee and President, Diageo Beer Company will moderate the conversation. Panelists include:
Gregory Gourdet, Author, Chef and Owner, Kann; 2022 James Beard Book Award Winner; 2023 James Beard Award Winner for Best New Restaurant
Lynnette Marrero, Co-founder, Speed Rack and Partner, Delola
Julia Momosé, Partner and Creative Director, Kumiko; 2022 James Beard Book Award Winner
This intimate conversation, moderated by 2022 James Beard Leadership Award honoree and Justice for Migrant Women Founder Mónica Ramírez, will provide insight from two seasoned leaders in the food industry on the role of the restaurant industry in confronting crises and supporting care in the communities that surround them, and the workers that make them run. This conversation will look at trends they have seen since COVID, opportunities and promising practices, and the work that remains to be done.
Immigrant Women Leading Across the Food Supply Chain
James Beard Leadership Award Honorees Justice for Migrant Women and Oakland Bloom (for Understory) work to advance rights, power, and pathways to ownership for working-class migrant women in food. While migrant women’s labor and knowledge are a cornerstone of the food industry at all levels, their voices and experiences are often erased. The event will feature powerful conversation with migrant women in food, discussing their experiences and insights around food and migration, and how they are advancing a more just, connected, healthier, and inclusive vision for the industry and their communities.
Convenience Middle West
3:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Middle Brow – 2840 W Armitage Ave, Chicago, IL 60647
A two-part celebration with Antonio Salto of Polanco and Chef Guy Meikle of Heritage Restaurant & Caviar Bar. Reserve Level Tastings: To begin the two-part celebration, Heritage Restaurant & Caviar Bar will host a sampling of some of Polanco’s Reserve level caviars during a tasting led by Antonio Salto. Enjoy a menu of items at your leisure anytime between 4:00 – 6:00 pm. Reservations are $70 a person and reservations are strongly suggested, open to the public. Continue the two-part celebration with Antonio Salto and Chef Guy during a special tasting menu from 6:00 – 8:00 pm. Tickets are $325 a person and all-inclusive with a max capacity of 24 guests, reservations are required.
Served Up: A Rooftop Pop-Up featuring James Beard Outstanding Bar Finalist Barr Hill Cocktail Bar at Château Carbide
5:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Château Carbide at Pendry Chicago – 230 N Michigan Ave., 24th Floor, Chicago, IL 60601
Luxury boutique hotel ’s rooftop cocktail haven Château Carbide will welcome 2024 James Beard Award nominee for Outstanding Bar, Vermont-based for a bar takeover 24 stories above the city. Barr Hill Cocktail Bar has gained nationwide recognition for its cocktail menu that combines handcrafted ingredients with cutting-edge bar techniques. From 5:00 pm to 10:00 pm, Barr Hill’s Head Distiller Ryan Christiansen and team will be onsite at the historic Art Deco Carbide & Carbon Building chatting shaking up a selection of fan-favorite cocktails from their James Beard Award-nominated menu.
James Beard Tasting Menu at The Coach House
6:30 pm
The Coach House – 1742 W. Division Street, Chicago, IL Reservations Here
Enjoy an 8-course tasting menu by 2x James Beard Award-nominated Chef Zubair Mohajir, exploring the primary spices used in South Indian cuisine. Through storytelling and an exclusively unique menu, guests for this event will get to experience The Coach House in an entirely new and vibrant way.
SUNDAY, JUNE 9
Coffee Chat: Culinary Titans Tackle Sustainability from Planet to Plate to People at Daisies
9:30 am – 11:00 am
Daisie’s – 2375 N Milwaukee Ave, Chicago, IL 60647
Chef and Owner Joe Frillman of MICHELIN Green Starred Daisies in Logan Square will gather several of the industries’ leading voices in sustainability for an open-to-the-public coffee chat on the morning of Sunday, June 9th featuring Chicago’s own Green City Market, the city’s first year-round nonprofit farmers’ market that fights for citywide access to locally-grown, sustainably-produced food. From forging lasting bonds with local farmers to pioneering groundbreaking techniques in waste reduction and supporting local pollinators, the panel will share their insights and strategies for a more sustainable future. As they tackle pressing issues facing the industry today, attendees are welcome to nosh on a selection of hosted sweets and pastries by Jean Banchet Award-winning Executive Pastry Chef and Partner Leigh Omilinsky of Daisies as well as complimentary coffee and tea moderated by Food & Wine’s Chandra Ram, James Beard Media Award nominee, and IACP Award-nominated associate editorial director Chandra Ram, Daisies welcomes trailblazers including:
Joe Frillman of Daisies in Chicago, IL — MICHELIN Green Star, 2024 James Beard Award Semifinalist for Best Chef: Great Lakes
Chef Rick Bayless — Frontera, Xoco, Bar Sótano & More, Top Chef, Founder of Green City Market & Frontera Farmer Foundation, Seven-Time James Beard Award winner
Chef Geoff Davis of Burdell in Oakland, CA — 2024 James Beard Award nominee for Best Chef: California, Esquire’s Best New Restaurants
Chef Rob Connoley of Bulrush in St. Louis, MO — 2024 James Beard Award nominee for Best Chef: Midwest, Author: Acorns & Cattails: A Modern Foraging Cookbook of Forest, Farm & Field
Patrick Amice of Barr Hill Cocktail Bar and Distillery in Montpelier, VA — General Manager of Hospitality Operations, 2024 James Beard Award nominee for Outstanding Bar Program
Nicole Yarovinsky of Daisies in Chicago, IL — Bar Director, 2x Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards Semi-Finalist
Get Roasted ‘24: Brew and Bites with Big Shoulders Coffee
10:00 am – 12:00 pm
Big Shoulders Coffee Roasting Works – 2415 W 19th Street, Chicago, IL 60608
Patricia and Tim Coonan will welcome all to the Roastery for the 2024 Get Roasted event. The event will feature fresh coffee and homemade pastries, live roasting demonstrations, a micro-lot pour-over station, an espresso bar with a latte art exhibition, mocktails and cocktails created by our mixologist, Alicia Scott, and local brewery Alarmist Brewing will be sponsoring the event with a small selection of their craft beers. Don’t miss the craft coffee brew and bites event of the year ahead of the James Beard Foundation Awards. All guests will receive a bag of freshly roasted coffee to go.
Steph & Chef Friends’ Beard Brunch!
11:00 am – Onward
Girl & the Goat – 809 W. Randolph St., Chicago, IL 60607
Stephanie Izard alongside Lee Anne Wong, Christina Nguyen, Elizabeth Falkner, and Karen Akunowicz, will host a very special brunch. Enjoy a tasty dish from each chef while supporting the James Beard Foundation’s Women’s Entrepreneurial Leadership Program. Cocktails, beer, and wine will be available for a la carte purchase. Brunch will be a ticketed, family-style event with communal seating, please purchase the total amount of tickets for your entire party to ensure you will be seated next to one another. Please reach out to info@girlandthegoat.com with questions.
West Loop’s Sunday Brunch @ Nobu’s Rooftop
11:30 am – 2:30 pm
Nobu Chicago Rooftop – 155 N. Peoria Street, Chicago, IL 60607
Nobu will host a Sunday Brunch soiree at The Rooftop, the stunning restaurant and lounge on the 11th floor of Nobu Hotel Chicago, which recently received a MICHELIN Key. Get a taste of celebrity chef Nobu Matsuhisa’s brunch menu while taking in one of the best views of Chicago’s skyline overlooking the burgeoning West Loop neighborhood. Attendees will be served reception-style Nobu brunch bites and crafted cocktails.
JBF Greens x Mi Tocaya Antojería
12:00pm – 2:30pm
Mi Tocaya Antojería – 2800 W. Lohan Blvd., Chicago IL 60647
Mi Tocaya Antojería will host JBF Greens and open for brunch so that the James Beard Foundation® Greens community (and friends!) can ring in the 2024 Awards. Translated to mean “my namesake” in Spanish, Mi Tocaya highlights chef — and James Beard Award nominee — Diana Dávila’s mission to reshape Mexican cuisine.
Since opening the restaurant in 2017, Chef Diana has established herself as a leader in and out of the kitchen. During the pandemic, she not only launched the Todos Ponen Project to support undocumented workers in the hospitality industry, but also provided free meals for the community, and remained steadfast in her commitment to her employees, farmers, and local vendors. For the occasion, chef Diana will prepare a 3-course brunch that highlights traditional favorites as well as lesser-known regional specialties inspired by her summers traveling through Mexico.
Up South
1:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Justice of the Pies – 8655 S Blackstone, Chicago, IL 60619
No reservation required
Chef Maya-Camille Broussard, 2022 James Beard Award nominee for Outstanding Baker, Chef Serigne Mbaye, 2024 James Beard Award nominee for Best New Restaurant, Chef Adrienne Cheatham, 2023 James Beard Media Award nominated author of Sunday Best, and Chef Fariyal Abdullahi, 2024 James Beard Award nominee for Emerging Chef, will celebrate culinary brilliance on the South Side of Chicago. The UP SOUTH pop-up will feature offerings laced with Southern influences while retaining the spirit of the greater Black diaspora. Live music and terrace seating will be available at Justice of the Pies, a bakery proudly nestled in the center of Avalon Park on Chicago’s South Side.
The Rise and Impact of Chef Civic Leadership – A Panel Hosted by Chicago Chefs Cook
This award recognizes books with recipes focused on the art and craft of baking, pastries, and desserts, both sweet and savory items, including ingredients, techniques, equipment, and traditions.
This year, submissions to the Bread category were included for consideration within the Baking and Desserts category.
This award recognizes books without recipes that focus on beverages, such as cocktails, beer, wine, spirits, coffee, tea, or juices; or books that cover these subject areas where recipes are not the focus of cooking, not just a single topic, technique, or region.
Henry Jeffreys (Atlantic) Food Issues and Advocacy:
This award recognizes books that focus on investigative journalism, food policy, food advocacy, deep dives, and critical analysis of the changing social landscape around food.
José Andrés and Sam Chapple-Sokol (Clarkson Potter)
Literary Writing:
This award recognizes narrative nonfiction books, including memoirs, culinary travel, culinary tourism, biography, reflections on food in a cultural context, and personal essays.
This award recognizes books written by a culinary professional or restaurant chef with recipes that may include advanced cooking techniques, the use of specialty ingredients and professional equipment, including culinary arts textbooks.
Jessica Battilana and Sylvan Mishima Brackett (Hardie Grant North America)
Single Subject:
This award recognizes books with recipes focused on a single ingredient, dish, or method of cooking. Examples include seafood, grains, pasta, burgers, or canning. Exceptions are baking and desserts books, vegetable-focused books, restaurant and professional books, and beverage books— which would be entered in their respective categories.
Kelly Marshall and Sarah Madden (HarperCollins) Thank You Please Come Again: How Gas Stations Feed & Fuel the American South
Kate Medley with Dave Whitling (BS Publishing)
Cookbook Hall of Fame:
This award is given to either a cookbook that has significantly influenced the way we think about food, honoring authors who possess an exceptional ability to communicate their gastronomic vision via the printed page, or an author whose cookbooks and other culinary books and work, taken together, make a difference in the world of food and cooking.
The Book Awards Subcommittee selects the winner for this category. The Cookbook Hall of Fame winner will be announced at the Media Awards ceremony on June 8.
In honor of the occasion, Choose Chicago, Illinois Restaurant Association, and Here Here Marketcollaborate on curated boxes in honor of Chicago’s James Beard Award-nominated chefs.
The Celebrate JBF Chicago Alumni Collection boxes bring together a dream team of Chicago chefs in take-away form. Purchases will directly support both acclaimed local chefs and up-and-coming culinary talent through a dedicated scholarship offered by the James Beard Foundation. Imagine the ultimate foodie day with Mott St.’s Miso Caramel drizzled over waffles, followed by a bowl of Monteverde Gnocchetti for lunch’ Then it’s time for a munching intermission of Luella’s addictively crunchy Baye’s Mix Popcorn in between a Charles Joly-inspired happy hour and a fish taco dinner made with Chef Stephanie Izard’s This Little Goat Yucatan Everything Sauce or a yummy noodle dish featuring Mott St.’s sweet and savory Everything Sauce.
The James Beard Awards weekend in Chicago provides a particularly proud opportunity to celebrate the city’s vibrant hospitality community through a wide array of public events, including cross-country restaurant collaborations, education sessions, special menus, backyard BBQs, and now Here Here Market’s exclusive Celebrate JBF Chicago Alumni Collection boxes.
About Choose Chicago
JBF Sauce, Spice & Everything Nice
Choose Chicago is the official sales and marketing organization responsible for promoting Chicago as a global visitor and meetings destination, leveraging the city’s unmatched assets to ensure the economic vitality of the city and its member business community. For more information, visit www.choosechicago.com and follow @choosechicago on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. #CaptureChicagoExcitement
About Illinois Restaurant Association
Founded in 1914, the Illinois Restaurant Association is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting, protecting, educating and improving the restaurant industry in Illinois. The IRA owns and produces Chicago Gourmet – the annual food and wine festival uniting hundreds of restaurants, chefs and beverage experts for a weekend filled with food and drink tastings, entertainment and more. For more information, visit www.illinoisrestaurants.org and follow @illinoisrestaurants on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
About Here Here Market
Bill Kim, Mott St.
Here Here Market is an online marketplace for food and drink enthusiasts to discover and buy specialty products from chef-preneurs, small-batch artisans, and local product makers, delivered right to your door nationwide. Launched in 2021, Here Here Market’s mission is to support and enable culinary creators at any point in their journey through a platform to share their talent and products with the world. Co-founded by Disha Gulati and Nicholas Florek, Here Here Market is a woman, minority, and LGBTQ+ company based in Chicago with a goal to uplift a diverse community of culinary creators. For more information, visit www.hereheremarket.com and follow @hereheremkt on Facebook and Instagram.
About the James Beard Foundation
The James Beard Foundation (JBF) celebrates and supports the people behind America’s food culture, while pushing for new standards in the restaurant industry to create a future where all have the opportunity to thrive. Established over 30 years ago, the Foundation has highlighted the centrality of food culture in our daily lives and is committed to supporting a resilient and flourishing industry that honors its diverse communities. By amplifying new voices, celebrating those leading the way, and supporting those on the path to do so, the Foundation is working to create a more equitable and sustainable future—what we call Good Food for Good™.
As a 501c3 non-profit organization, JBF brings its mission to life through annual Awards, industry and community-focused initiatives and programs, advocacy, and events. Current programs include the Open For Good Campaign, Chef’s Bootcamp for Policy and Change, Beard House Fellows, Legacy Network, Scholarship Programs, Smart Catch, and Women’s Leadership Programs. In addition, JBF celebrates the chefs and local independent restaurants at the heart of our communities with numerous events and partnerships nationwide throughout the year—including the Taste America culinary tour, JBF Greens events for foodies under 40, the soon-to-open Pier 57 Market Hall, food festivals, and more. For more information, subscribe to the digital newsletter Beard Bites and follow @beardfoundation on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, and Clubhouse.
Chef Sarah Grueneberg’s Gnocchetti con Pesto
Serves 4
1 pound Monteverde Gnocchetti Pasta
2 tablespoons Kosher Salt
4 Tbs cold butter, unsalted, cubed
handful basil leaves
1 cup Basil Pesto
1/2 cup whole ricotta
1/4 cup grated pecorino, for garnish
2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts, preferably Italian
Bring a large pot of water to boil, season with kosher salt. Add the pasta to the water and cook 1 minute less than directions specify. Using a skimmer, remove cooked pasta from pot and place in a large sauce pot or sauté pan, along with a 1/4 cup of the pasta water over medium heat. Stir cubed butter into the sauce until thickened.
Add basil leaves and serve in bowls, then drizzle basil pesto on top (about 1/4 cup per bowl). Garnish each bowl with a few spoonfuls of ricotta, grated pecorino and toasted pine nuts.
1/2 cup fruity, mild extra-virgin olive oil (plus a touch more if needed)
1/2 teaspoon flaky sea salt, like Maldon
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1⁄4 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese
Place blender jar in freezer to chill. Meanwhile, submerge the herbs in a large bowl of cold water add a few ice cubes; let stand 5 minutes.
Using hands, gently lift leaves from water. Repeat again, using fresh cold water. Let soak for 15 minutes. Remove blender jar from freezer. Place the garlic, salt and oil in the blender and blend until smooth.
Working in batches, lift herbs from water, shaking excess but not all water from leaves (a bit of water will make a smooth pesto) add to blender. Blend using short pulses for each addition, just to breakdown the larger leaves (do not over-blend.)
Finally, add the cheeses, and blend on medium high until smooth. Remove and place over an ice bath and chill until cold. Reserve for drizzling over your favorite pasta.
The James Beard Award Semifinalists today announced their 2022 Restaurant and Chef Awards semifinalists in advance of the returning James Beard Awards® presented by Capital One. Winners will be celebrated at the James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards ceremony on Monday, June 13, 2022, at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. Restaurant and Chef Awards nominees, in addition to honorees for Leadership, Lifetime Achievement Award, and Humanitarian of the Year Awards will be revealed on Wednesday, March 16, 2022, in Scottsdale, AZ. Nominees for the James Beard Foundation Media Awards will be released on Wednesday, April 27, 2022, in New York City.
Mabel Gray
The James Beard Foundation’s Restaurant and Chef Awards were established in 1991 and is one of five separate recognition programs of the Awards. James Beard Awards policies and procedures can be viewed at jamesbeard.org/awards/policies.
Check out the 2022 Restaurant and Chef Award semifinalists below.
Outstanding Restaurateur
Ashok Bajaj, Knightsbridge Restaurant Group (Rasika, Bindaas, Annabelle, and others), Washington, D.C.
Kim Bartmann, Bartmann Group, Minneapolis
Chris Bianco, Tratto, Pane Bianco, and Pizzeria Bianco, Phoenix
Jason and Sue Chin, Good Salt Restaurant Group, Orlando, FL
Brandon Chrostowski, EDWINS Leadership and Restaurant Institute, Cleveland
Larry and Jessica Delgado, Delgado Collective, McAllen, TX
Ravi DeRossi, Overthrow Hospitality, NYC
Greg Dulan, Dulan’s Soul Food Restaurant, Los Angeles
Kevin Gillespie, Red Beard Restaurants (Gunshow, Ole Reliable, and Revival), Atlanta
Andrew Le, The Pig and the Lady and Piggy Smalls, Honolulu
Marc Meyer, Vicki Freeman, and Chris Paraskevaides, Bowery Group (Shuka, Shukette, Vic’s, and others) NYC
Joe Muench, Black Shoe Hospitality, Milwaukee
Willy Ng, Koi Palace, Dragon Beaux, and Palette Tea House, San Francisco
Akkapong “Earl” Ninsom, Langbaan, Hat Yai, Eem, and others, Portland, OR
Todd Richards and Joshua Lee, The Soulful Company (Lake & Oak), Atlanta
J.D. Simpson and Roger Yopp, SavannahBlue, Detroit
Deborah Snow and Barbara White, Blue Heron Restaurant & Catering, Sunderland, MA
Chris Williams, Lucille’s Hospitality Group, Houston
Ellen Yin, High Street Hospitality Group (Fork, a.kitchen + bar, High Street Philly, and others), Philadelphia
Edwin Zoe, Zoe Ma Ma and Chimera Ramen, Boulder and Denver, CO
Outstanding Chef
Reem Assil, Reem’s, Oakland and San Francisco, CA
Mashama Bailey, The Grey, Savannah, GA
Andrew Black, Grey Sweater, Oklahoma City
Peter Chang, Peter Chang, VA and MD
Austin Covert, Rosewild, Fargo, ND
Christopher Gross, Christopher’s, Phoenix
Stephen Jones, The Larder + The Delta, Phoenix
Ji Hye Kim, Miss Kim, Ann Arbor, MI
Kyle Knall, Birch, Milwaukee
Emiliano Marentes, ELEMI, El Paso, TX
Niki Nakayama, n/naka, Los Angeles
Keiji Nakazawa, Sushi Sho, Honolulu
Josh Niernberg, Bin 707 Foodbar, Grand Junction, CO
Alex Raij and Eder Montero, La Vara, NYC
Angie Rito and Scott Tacinelli, Don Angie, NYC
Michael Schwartz, Michael’s Genuine Food & Drink, Miami
Douglass Williams, MIDA, Boston
Cindy Wolf, Charleston, Baltimore
Rachel Yang and Seif Chirchi, Joule, Seattle
Outstanding Restaurant
Parachute
Brennan’s, New Orleans
Butcher & Bee, Charleston, SC
Chai Pani, Asheville, NC
Cora Cora, West Hartford, CT
Di Fara Pizza, NYC
El Burén de Lula, Loíza, PR
Friday Saturday Sunday, Philadelphia
Hell’s Backbone Grill & Farm, Boulder, UT
La Morada, NYC
Living Kitchen Farm & Dairy, Depew, OK
Métier, Washington, D.C.
Mixtli, San Antonio, TX
Parachute, Chicago
Paragary’s, Sacramento, CA
Post & Beam, Los Angeles
Odd Duck, Milwaukee
Oriole, Chicago
ShinBay, Scottsdale, AZ
Sushi Izakaya Gaku, Honolulu
The Walrus and the Carpenter, Seattle
Emerging Chef
Manuel “Manny” Barella, Bellota, Denver
Angel Barreto, Anju, Washington, D.C.
Kristi Brown, Communion, Seattle
Rochelle Daniel, Atria, Flagstaff, AZ
Calvin Eng, Bonnie’s, NYC
Casey Felton, Bahn Oui, Los Angeles
Shenarri Freeman, Cadence, NYC
Ben Grupe, Tempus, St. Louis
Donald Hawk, Valentine, Phoenix
Cleophus Hethington, Benne on Eagle, Asheville, NC
Brian Hirata, Na‘’au, Hilo, HI
Serigne Mbaye, Dakar Nola, New Orleans
Thuy Pham, Mama Đút, Portland, OR
Mia Orino and Carlo Gan, Kamayan ATL, Atlanta
Edgar Rico, Nixta Taqueria, Austin
Amanda Shulman, Her Place Supper Club, Philadelphia
Amanda Turner, Olamaie, Austin
Chris Viaud, Greenleaf, Milford, NH
Crystal Wahpepah, Wahpepah’s Kitchen, Oakland, CA
David Yoshimura, Nisei, San Francisco
Best New Restaurant
Café Mamajuana, Burlington, VT
ABACÁ, San Francisco
Angry Egret Dinette, Los Angeles
Bacanora, Phoenix
BARDA, Detroit
Café Mamajuana, Burlington, VT
Casian Seafood, Lafayette, CO
Dhamaka, NYC
Fritai, New Orleans
Gage & Tollner, NYC
Horn BBQ, Oakland, CA
Kasama, Chicago
Kimika, NYC
Laser Wolf, Philadelphia
Leeward, Portland, ME
Lengua Madre, New Orleans
MACHETE, Greensboro, NC
Matia Kitchen & Bar, Orcas Island, WA
The Marble Table, Billings, MT
Nani’s Piri Piri Chicken, Asheville, NC
NiHao, Baltimore
Owamni, Minneapolis
Oyster Oyster, Washington, D.C.
Pier 6 Seafood & Oyster House, San Leon, TX
República, Portland, OR
Roots Southern Table, Farmers Branch, TX
Sooper Secret Izakaya, Honolulu
Union Hmong Kitchen, Minneapolis
Ursula, NYC
Zacatlán Restaurant, Santa Fe
Zitz Sum, Coral Gables, FL
Outstanding Pastry Chef
Chacónne Patisserie
Antonio Bachour, Bachour, Coral Gables and Doral, FL
Nicolas Blouin, Destination Kohler, Kohler, WI
Warda Bouguettaya, Warda Pâtisserie, Detroit
Mark Chacón, Chacónne Patisserie, Phoenix
Angela Cicala, Cicala at the Divine Lorraine, Philadelphia
Kate Fisher Hamm, Leeward, Portland, ME
Michelle Karr-Ueoka, MW Restaurant, Honolulu
Margarita Manzke, République, Los Angeles
Claudia Martinez, Miller Union, Atlanta
Elise Mensing, Brasserie by Niche, St. Louis
Camari Mick, The Musket Room, NYC
Ruben Ortega, Xochi, Houston
Shannah Primiano, Porto, Chicago
Rabii Saber, Four Seasons, Orlando, FL
Caroline Schiff, Gage & Tollner, NYC
Anne Specker, Kinship, Washington, D.C.
Krystle Swenson, The Social Haus, Greenough, MT
Sofia Tejeda, Mixtli, San Antonio, TX
Jen Yee, Hopkins and Company, Atlanta
Outstanding Baker
David Cáceres, La Panadería, San Antonio, TX
Maya-Camille Broussard, Justice of the Pies, Chicago
Atsuko Fujimoto, Norimoto Bakery, Portland, ME
Susannah Gebhart, Old World Levain (OWL) Bakery, Asheville, NC
Marissa and Mark Gencarelli, Yoli Tortilleria, Kansas City, MO
Joseph, Archalous, and Caroline Geragosian, Old Sasoon Bakery, Pasadena, CA
Don Guerra, Barrio Bread, Tucson, AZ
Aaron Hall, The Local Crumb, Mount Vernon, IA
Mike Hirao, Nisshodo Candy Store, Honolulu
Clement Hsu, Katherine Campecino-Wong, and James Wong, Breadbelly, San Francisco
Nobutoshi “Nobu” Mizushima and Yuko Kawashiwo, Ihatov Bread and Coffee, Albuquerque, NM
Evette Rahman, Sister Honey’s, Orlando, FL
Rhonda Saltzman and Mercedes Brooks, Second Daughter Baking Co., Philadelphia
Caroline Schweitzer and Lauren Heemstra, Wild Crumb, Bozeman, MT
Khatera Shams, Sunshine Spice Bakery & Cafe, Boise, ID
Zak Stern, Zak the Baker, Miami
Elaine Townsend, Café Mochiko, Cincinnati, OH
Maricsa Trejo, La Casita Bakeshop, Richardson, TX
Louis Volle, Lodi, NYC
Pamela Vuong, The Flour Box, Seattle
Outstanding Hospitality (Presented by American Airlines)
BaoBao Dumpling House, Portland, ME
Bar del Corso, Seattle
Binkley’s, Phoenix
Coquine, Portland, OR
Cúrate, Asheville, NC
House of Prime Rib, San Francisco
Hugo’s, Houston
Johnny’s Restaurant, Homewood, AL
José, Dallas
Lil’ Deb’s Oasis, Hudson, NY
Mudgie’s Deli and Wine Shop, Detroit
Phoenicia, Birmingham, MI
The Preacher’s Son, Bentonville, AR
Sanford, Milwaukee
Spuntino, Denver
Steve and Cookie’s, Margate, NJ
Sylvia’s Restaurant, NYC
Ticonderoga Club, Atlanta
Tutka Bay Lodge, Homer, AK
Valter’s Osteria, Salt Lake City
Outstanding Wine Program
Kai
a.kitchen + bar, Philadelphia
The Four Horsemen, NYC
Frenchette, NYC
Golden Age Wine, Mountain Brook, AL
High Street Wine Co., San Antonio, TX
Hiyu Wine Farm, Hood River, OR
Kai, Phoenix
L’Etoile, Madison, WI
The Little Nell, Aspen, CO
Lucky Palace, Bossier City, LA
Lyla Lila, Atlanta
Madam, Birmingham, MI
Maydan, Washington, D.C.
Polo Grill, Tulsa, OK
The Punchdown, Oakland, CA
Rainbow Ranch Lodge, Gallatin Gateway, MT
Rebel Rebel, Somerville, MA
Sachet, Dallas
Tomo, Seattle
Vicia, St. Louis
Outstanding Bar Program
Nobody’s Darling
Alley Twenty Six, Durham, NC
Attaboy, Nashville
Avenue Pub, New Orleans
Bar Leather Apron, Honolulu
barmini by José Andrés, Washington, D.C.
Cafe La Trova, Miami
Chapel Tavern, Reno, NV
Friends and Family, Oakland, CA
Genever, Los Angeles
Goodkind, Milwaukee
The Jewel Box, Portland, ME
Julep, Houston
La Factoría, San Juan, PR
Las Almas Rotas, Dallas
Llama San, NYC
Nobody’s Darling, Chicago
Shelby, Detroit
Valkyrie, Tulsa, OK
Vicia, St. Louis
Water Witch, Salt Lake City
Best Chefs (Presented by Capital One):
Best Chef: California
Mr. Jui’s
Chris Barnum-Dann, Localis, Sacramento, CA
Sylvan Mishima Brackett, Rintaro, San Francisco
Val M. Cantu, Californios, San Francisco
Keith Corbin, Alta Adams, Los Angeles
Srijith Gopinathan, Ettan, Palo Alto, CA
Tony Ho, Sea Harbour Seafood Restaurant, Rosemead, CA
Judept Irra, Tamales Elena y Antojitos, Bell Gardens, CA
Nobody’s Darling, Chicago San Francisco
Matthew Kammerer, The Harbor House Inn, Elk, CA
Bryant Ng, Cassia, Santa Monica, CA
Heena Patel, Besharam, San Francisco
Natalia Pereira, Woodspoon, Los Angeles
Melissa Perello, Octavia, San Francisco
Minh Phan, Phenakite, Los Angeles
Justin Pichetrungsi, Anajak Thai, Los Angeles
Carlos Salgado, Taco María, Costa Mesa, CA
Sarintip “Jazz” Singsanong, Jitlada, Los Angeles
James Syhabout, Commis, Oakland, CA
Pim Techamuanvivit, Nari, San Francisco
Anthony Wells, Juniper and Ivy, San Diego
Best Chef: Great Lakes (IL, IN, MI, OH)
Omar Anani, Saffron De Twah, Detroit
Rodolfo Cuadros, Amaru and Bloom Plant Based Kitchen, Chicago
Diana Dávila Boldin, Mi Tocaya Antojería, Chicago
Paul Fehribach, Big Jones, Chicago
Jason Hammel, Lula Cafe, Chicago
Anthony Lombardo, SheWolf, Detroit
Hamissi Mamba and Nadia Nijimbere, Baobab Fare, Detroit
Thomas Melvin, Vida, Indianapolis
Dave Park, Jeong, Chicago
Michael Ransom, ima, Detroit
Darnell Reed, Luella’s Southern Kitchen, Chicago
James Rigato, Mabel Gray, Hazel Park, MI
Jose Salazar, Salazar, Cincinnati, OH
Noah Sandoval, Oriole, Chicago
Ahmad Sanji, AlTayeb, Dearborn, MI
John Shields and Karen Urie Shields, Smyth, Chicago
Jill Vedaa, Salt+, Lakewood, OH
Sarah Welch, Marrow, Detroit
Erick Williams, Virtue Restaurant & Bar, Chicago
Kate Williams, Karl’s, Detroit
Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic (DC, DE, MD, NJ, PA, VA)
Anthony Andiario, Andiario, West Chester, PA
Joey Baldino, Zeppoli, Collingswood, NJ
Angel Barreto, Anju, Washington, D.C.
Amy Brandwein, Centrolina, Washington, D.C.
Adam Diltz, Elwood, Philadelphia
Antimo DiMeo, Bardea Food & Drink, Wilmington, DE
Melissa Hamilton and Christopher Hirsheimer, Canal House Station, Milford, NJ
Matt Hill, Ruthie’s All-Day, Arlington, VA
Bill Hoffman, The House of William & Merry, Hockessin, DE
Jesse Ito, Royal Izakaya, Philadelphia
Kate Lasky and Tomasz Skowronski, Apteka, Pittsburgh
Wei Lu, China Chalet, Florham Park, NJ
Cristina Martinez, South Philly Barbacoa, Philadelphia
Peter Prime, Cane, Washington, D.C.
Carlos Raba, Clavel Mezcaleria, Baltimore
Michael Rafidi, Albi, Washington, D.C.
Chutatip “Nok” Suntaranon, Kalaya Thai Kitchen, Philadelphia
Yuan Tang, Rooster & Owl, Washington, D.C.
Wei Zhu, Chengdu Gourmet, Pittsburgh
Bethany Zozula, 40 North at Alphabet City, Pittsburgh
From Eater Detroit: The semifinalists for 2022 James Beard Awards have dropped and include nine metro Detroit chefs in the Great Lakes category. Winning a James Beard award is considered one of the highest honors in the food industry, so undoubtedly, these semifinalists will be celebrating their nominations this morning.
Best Chef semifinalists from Detroit include Omar Anani of Saffron De Twah, Anthony Lombardo of SheWolf, Hamissi Mamba and Nadia Nijimbere of Baobab Fare, Michael Ransom of Ima, Sarah Welch of Marrow, and Kate Williams of Karl’s. Other Michigan chefs nominated include James Rigato of Mabel Gray in Hazel Park and Ahmad Sanji of Al Tayeb in Dearborn. Barda was named a semifinalist in the category Best New Restaurant.
Mudgie’s “Stinson”
Detroit cocktail bar Shelby is nominated for Outstanding Bar Program, while restaurant and bar Madam from Birmingham is nominated for Outstanding Wine Program. Nominated for Outstanding Hospitality are Birmingham’s Phoenicia and Mudgie’s Deli and Wine Shop, the latter of which is a particularly meaningful nomination as its owner Greg Mudge died suddenly last fall.
For all those who have been opining that Southwest Michigan is indeed become a food-centric destination thanks to our great farmers and the crops they grow in fields and orchards, multiple wineries, breweries, distilleries, chefs and food producers, the biggest proof came last week when Abra Berens, chef in residence for Granor Farm in Three Oaks was nominated for the Best Chef award in the Great Lakes Region by the James Beard Foundation. This coveted honor came about for multifold reasons including her best selling cookbook Ruffage: A Practical Guide to Vegetables (Chronicle Books 2019: $35). The book make veggies easily accessible and tasty. Containing 300 recipes based upon 29 vegetables, the cookbook was on numerous top ten cookbooks for 2019. Then there is also Granor’s Farmhouse Dinners, often featuring celebrity chefs, she prepares. These dinners, based on what’s grown on the farm as well as locally sourced foods, attract people locally but also from Chicago, Detroit and even Indianapolis. For the last two years, each dinner has sold out and has had a waiting list.
“I never thought it would happen to me,” says Abra when I called to congratulate her. “I think the term was gob smacked when I found out. A long time ago I figured it was not my wheelhouse because my food is not fancy food.”
It turns out that Abra heard about the honor from a friend who lives in Pennsylvania and saw the press release from the James Beard Foundation and immediately pulled it up on her phone. It was hard to read but there it was.
Abra Berens’s Vinegar Braised Onions with Seared Whitefish and Arugula
She grew up cooking and has worked in restaurants since she was 16 including Zingerman’s Deli in Ann Arbor and then at Ballymaloe Cookery School and Farm, a 100-acre organic farm in Shanagarry, County Cork, Ireland. In ways Ballymaloe was similar to Granor in that what they grew on the farm was served at its restaurant and guest house.
“It was an education for me—that connection with what a farm is growing and the meals you eat,” she says.
Next stop was Neal’s Yard Dairy, a serious cheese shop where staff people like her worked with some 40 cheesemakers, in selecting, maturing and selling farmhouse cheese made in the United Kingdom and Ireland. From there, she headed to Chicago where became the executive chef at Stock Café at Local Foods, Vie and the Floriole Cafe & Bakery. As if that wasn’t hectic enough, Abra also co-founded Bare Knuckle Farm in Northport in Michigan’s Leelanau Peninsula. That meant a round trip commute of 700 milers on a regular basis for six years
It was worth it, says Abra about those six years, because she wanted to do dinners based on what she grew.
It worked well in Chicago and definitely does in Three Oaks as well.
Granor Farm is expanding too.
“We’re adding new space to the kitchen and we’re working to grow vegetables year round by building indoor growing space,” she says. “We’re putting in refrigeration to add dairy such as artisan cheeses from Windshadow Farm in Hartford, Evergreen Lane Cheese and Creamery in Fennville and Capriole Goat Cheese in Greenville, Indiana.”
They’re also growing heritage varieties of wheat, rye and corn. Their Bloody Butcher corn, a variety grown by Daniel Boone’s brother Squire almost 250 years ago, is used by Molino Tortilleria in Sawyer to make their corn tortillas. Abra also plans on making and selling bread from these heirloom grains using a wood burning oven.
Tortillas from Molino Tortilleria
All in all, though she didn’t ever expect it, Abra definitely deserves the James Beard nod. It’s a first for Southwest Michigan and shows all the great things—foodwise—to come.
The following recipes are reprinted from Ruffage by Abra Berens with permission by Chronicle Books, 2019.
“Parsnips are perfect for roasting because they are naturally a bit drier than carrots or sweet potatoes,” she writes at the beginning of this recipe. “I like to roast them pretty hard so that their little chips burn, foiling the natural sweetness of the root. As with all oven roasted things, allow enough space between the pieces on the baking sheet; A convection oven will help develop that crispy exoskeleton on the veggie comma and cook until the roots are tender when pierced with a knife. “
Roasted Parsnips w/Fresh Goat Cheese, Pecans and Pickled Apricots
“Pickling dried fruit heightens its flavor by introducing a serious tang and a touch of salt,” she writes explaining the reasoning behind pickling. “It breathes new life into a pretty standard pantry staple. It works with all dried fruit though Apple chips get weird and soggy. You can also pickle fresh fruit, though this was sometimes soften the flesh to mush so be gentle with the heat. I love this with basil, which is increasingly available from year-round growers. If you can find good looking basil, either drizzle with basil oil or use parsley or mixture of parsley, tarragon, and or mint. “
10 parsnips or about 2 pounds, ends cut off, peeled and cut into obliques1/4 Cup olive oil, plus more for cooking the parsnips
Freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt, plus more for seasoning
1/4 cup Apple cider vinegar
1 half cup dried apricots cut into 1/4 inch strips
4 ounces fresh goat cheese
1 cup pecans, toasted
6 leaves basil, torn
Heat the oven to 400° F. Toss the parsnips with a big glug (about two tablespoons) of olive oil, 2 pinches of salt, and 2 grinds of black pepper. Transfer to a baking sheet and roast until the parsnips are tender and golden brown, 35 to 40 minutes.
Heat the vinegar, salt and brown sugar to boiling. Pour this over the apricots and let them sit for 10 minutes. These will keep for weeks so feel free to scale up and have some on hand.
Drain the apricots reserving the liquid for dressing or making a spritzer with soda water. Remove the parsnips from the oven, toss with the ¼ cup olive oil and let it absorb for a couple of minutes.
Place on a serving platter, dot with the goat cheese, scattered the pecans and apricots over them, garnish with torn pieces of basil and serve.
Variations
w/currants, walnuts, blue cheese + burnt honey
10 parsnips (about 2 pounds)
1/2 cup honey
2 tablespoons water
1/2 cup currents
1/2 cup walnuts
4 ounces blue cheese
One sprig rosemary, stripped and minced
After roasting the parsnips, removed them in the oven and turn on the broiler. Combined the honey and water to thin. Drizzle the roasted parsnips with the honey mixture and slide under the broiler to char like a toasted marshmallow. Removed from the oven and transfer to a serving platter. Garnish with the currents pickled (same as for the apricots, if you like), walnuts, blue cheese and rosemary.
w/other roots, garlic mayo + sage
5 parsnips (1 pound)
5 carrots (1 pound)
1 celery root (1/2 pound)
2 sweet potatoes (1 pound)
5 sunchokes (1/2 pound)
½ cup garlic mayo
3 sprigs sage, cut into thin slices or fried in oil until golden and crispy
Roast the roots drizzle with the garlic mayo and garnish with the sage.
Garlic Mayo
For the mayo, combine two crushed cloves of garlic, the juice and a half cup of mayonnaise.
Vinegar Braised Onions with Seared Whitefish and Arugula
8 shallots or cippolini
Neutral oil salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup red or white wine vinegar
1- 6-ounce filet of white fish per person
4 ounces arugula
1/4 cup olive oil
Heat the oven to 325°F.
Clean the shallots. Cut them in half from top to bottom.
Heat a glug (about two tablespoons) of neutral oil in a medium of improved frying pan until just above smoking.
Sear the onions, cut side down until well charred. Flipping season with a hefty sprinkle of salt and pepper. Char the other, grounded side as best as you can. As long as there is a good char on the cut side, you’ll be good.
Remove from the heat and pour the vinegar over the onions, getting it into the petals of the onion. Be aware it will spit as the vinegar hits the hot pan and will probably make you cough. Cover with foil or parchment paper and place in the oven. Bake until the onions are tender, about 25 minutes. In a large frying pan heat a glug (about two tablespoons) of neutral oil until smoking hot. Blot the whitefish skin dry, sprinkle with salt and sear, skin side down, about 5 minutes.
When the skin releases from the pan, place the whole pan in the already hot oven to cook through, about 4 minutes.
In a medium bowl, dress the arugula with olive oil in a sprinkle of salt and pepper.
Serve the fish, skin side up, top with arugula and onions, spooning the onion liquid over the whole thing period.
