CHICAGO Finalists for the 2009 James Beard Foundation Awards were named Monday at the Frontera Grill here. The winners will be revealed May 4 in New York at Lincoln Center’s Avery Fisher Hall.
The awards were in founded in 1990 to honor culinary achievements. A Women in Food gala reception will follow the awards ceremony. Television personality, chef and restaurateur Lidia Matticchio Bastianich is chairing the event. For more information on attending the awards and a complete listing of the nominees in all 52 categories, go to www.jbfawards.com.
This year's nominees include:
Outstanding Restaurant
- Babbo, New York
- Boulevard, San Francisco
- Fore Street, Portland, Maine
- Highlands Bar & Grill, Birmingham, Ala.
- Jean Georges, New York
Outstanding Chef
- Jose Andres, Minibar, Washington, D.C.
- Dan Barber, Blue Hill, New York
- Tom Colicchio, Craft, New York
- Suzanne Goin, Lucques, Los Angeles
- Paul Kahan, Blackbird, Chicago
Rising Star Chef
- Nate Appleman, A16, San Francisco
- Sean Brock, McCrady’s, Charleston, S.C.
- Johnny Monis, Komi, Washington, D.C.
- Gabriel Rucker, Le Pigeon, Portland, Ore.
- Michael Solomonov, Zahav, Philadelphia
- Sue Zemanick, Gautreau’s, New Orleans
Best New Restaurant
- The Bazaar by Jose Andres at SLS Hotel at Beverly Hills, Los Angeles
- Corton, New York
- L2O, Chicago
- Momofuku Ko, New York
- Scarpetta, New York
Best Chef, Pacific
- Jeremy Fox, Ubuntu, Napa, Calif.
- Douglas Keane, Cyrus, Healdsburg, Calif.
- Loretta Keller, Coco500, San Francisco
- David Kinch, Manresa, Los Gatos, Calif.
- Daniel Patterson, Coi, San Francisco
Best Chef, Mid-Atlantic
- Cathal Armstrong, Restaurant Eve, Alexandria, Va,
- Jose Garces, Amada, Philadelphia
- Peter Pastan, Obelisk, Washington, D.C.
- Maricel Presilla, Cucharamama, Hoboken, N.J.
- Vikram Sunderam, Rasika, Washington, D.C.
Best Chef, Midwest
- Isaac Becker, 112 Eatery, Minneapolis
- Gerard Craft, Niche, St. Louis
- Colby Garrelts, Bluestem, Kansas City, Mo.
- Tim McKee, La Belle Vie, Minneapolis
- Alexander Roberts, Restaurant Alma, Minneapolis
Best Chef, Great Lakes
- Koren Grieveson, Avec, Chicago
- Arun Sampanthavivat, Arun’s, Chicago
- Bruce Sherman, North Pond, Chicago
- Michael Symon, Lola, Cleveland
- Alex Young, Zingerman's Roadhouse, Ann Arbor, Mich.
Best Chef, New York City
- Michael Anthony, Gramercy Tavern
- Terrance Brennan, Picholine
- Wylie Dufresne, WD-50
- Gabrielle Hamilton, Prune
- Gabriel Kreuther, The Modern
Best Chef, Northeast
- Rob Evans, Hugo's, Portland, Maine
- Clark Frasier and Mark Gaier, Arrows, Ogunquit, Maine
- Michael Leviton, Lumiere, West Newton, Mass.
- Tony Maws, Craigie on Main, Cambridge, Mass.
- Marc Orfaly, Pigalle, Boston
Best Chef, Northwest
- Maria Hines, Tilth, Seattle
- Joseba Jimenez de Jimenez, The Harvest Vine, Seattle
- Ethan Stowell, Union, Seattle
- Cathy Whims, Nostrana, Portland, Ore.
- Jason Wilson, Crush, Seattle
Best Chef, Southeast
- Hugh Acheson, Five and Ten, Athens, Ga.
- Linton Hopkins, Restaurant Eugene, Atlanta
- Mike Lata, Fig, Charleston, S.C.
- Bill Smith, Crook’s Corner, Chapel Hill, N.C.
- Bob Waggoner, Charleston Grill, Charleston, S.C.
Best Chef, Southwest
- Paul Bartolotta, Bartolotta Ristorante di Mare at Wynn Las Vegas
- Sharon Hage, York Street, Dallas
- Ryan Hardy, Montagna at the Little Nell, Aspen, Colo.
- Claude Le Tohic, Joel Robuchon at MGM Grand Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas
- Andrew Weissman, Le Reve, San Antonio
Best Chef, South
- Zach Bell, Cafe Boulud at the Brazilian Court, Palm Beach, Fla.
- John Currence, City Grocery, Oxford, Miss.
- John Harris, Lilette, New Orleans
- Douglas Rodriguez, Ola, Miami Beach, Fla.
- Michael Schwartz, Michael’s Genuine Food & Drink, Miami
Contact Pamela Parseghian at [email protected].