2010 James Beard Award Finalists Announced

 

Book Awards

Presented by Green & Black’s® Organic Chocolate

For cookbooks published in English in 2009
Winners will be announced May 2, 2010

AMERICAN COOKING

My New Orleans
by John Besh
(Andrews McMeel Publishing, LLC)

Real Cajun
by Donald Link with Paula Disbrowe
(Clarkson Potter)

The Lee Bros. Simple Fresh Southern: Knockout Dishes with Down-Home Flavor
by Matt Lee and Ted Lee
(Clarkson Potter)

BAKING AND DESSERT

Baking
by James Peterson
(Ten Speed Press)

DamGoodSweet: Desserts to Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth, New Orleans Style
by David Guas, Raquel Pelzel
(The Taunton Press)

Peter Reinhart's Artisan Breads Every Day
by Peter Reinhart
(Ten Speed Press)

BEVERAGE

Been Doon So Long: A Randall Grahm Vinthology
by Randall Grahm
(University of California Press)

The King of Vodka: The Story of Pyotr Smirnov and the Upheaval of an Empire
by Linda Himelstein
(HarperBusiness)

World Whisky
by Charles Maclean
(DK Publishing)

COOKING FROM A PROFESSIONAL POINT OF VIEW

Araxi: Seasonal Recipes from the Celebrated Whistler Restaurant
by James Walt
(Douglas & McIntyre)

Momofuku
by David Chang and Peter Meehan
(Clarkson Potter)

The Fundamental Techniques of Classic Pastry Arts
by The French Culinary Institute with Judith Choate
(Stewart, Tabori & Chang)

GENERAL COOKING

Ad Hoc at Home
Author: Thomas Keller
(Artisan Books)

Salt to Taste: The Keys to Confident, Delicious Cooking
by Marco Canora with Catherine Young
(Rodale)

The Pleasures of Cooking for One
by Judith Jones
(Alfred A. Knopf)

HEALTHY FOCUS

EatingWell Comfort Foods Made Healthy
by Jesse Price and the Editors of EatingWell
(The Countryman Press)

Golden Door Cooks at Home: Favorite Recipes from the Celebrated Spa
by Dean Rucker with Marah Stets
(Clarkson Potter)

Love Soup: 160 All-New Vegetarian Recipes from the Author of The Vegetarian Epicure
by Anna Thomas
(W.W. Norton & Company)

INTERNATIONAL

Lidia Cooks from the Heart of Italy
by Lidia Bastianich and Tanya Bastianich Manuali
(Alfred A. Knopf)

Mastering the Art of Chinese Cooking
by Eileen Yin-Fei Lo
(Chronicle Books)

The Country Cooking of Ireland
by Colman Andrews
(Chronicle Books)

PHOTOGRAPHY

Eat Ate
Photographer: Earl Carter
(Chronicle Books)

New American Table
Photographer: Paul Brissman
(John Wiley & Sons, Inc.)

Seven Fires: Grilling the Argentine Way
Photographer: Santiago Solo Monllor
(Artisan Books)

REFERENCE AND SCHOLARSHIP

Chop Suey: A Cultural History of Chinese Food in the United States
by Andrew Coe
(Oxford University Press)

Encyclopedia of Pasta
by Oretta Zanini de Vita
Translated by: Maureen B. Fant
(University of California Press)

Larousse Gastronomique: The World's Greatest Culinary Encyclopedia, Completely Revised and Updated
by Librarie Larousse
(Clarkson Potter)

SINGLE SUBJECT

Pasta Sfoglia
by Ron Suhanosky and Colleen Suhanosky
(John Wiley & Sons, Inc.)

Weber’s Way to Grill
by Jamie Purviance
(Oxmoor House)

Well-Preserved: Recipes and Techniques for Putting Up Small Batches of Seasonal Foods
by Eugenia Bone
(Clarkson Potter)

WRITING AND LITERATURE

Save the Deli
by David Sax
(Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)

The Seasons on Henry’s Farm: A Year of Food and Life on a Sustainable Farm
by Terra Brockman
(Agate Surrey)

Waste: Uncovering the Global Food Scandal
by Tristram Stuart
(W.W. Norton & Company)

The winner of Cookbook of the Year and the Cookbook Hall of Fame Inductee will be announced on May 2, 2010.

Broadcast Media Awards

Presented by Lenox Tableware and Gifts

For television, webcast, and radio programs aired in 2009.
Winners will be announced on May 2, 2010

AUDIO WEBCAST OR RADIO SHOW

Eight Forty-Eight
Hosts: Alison Cuddy and Richard Steele
Area: Chicago, Online
Producer: Aurora Aguilar

The Kojo Nnamdi Show
Host: Kojo Nnamdi
Area: Washington, D.C., Online
Producers: Tara Boyle, Michael Martinez, Ingalisa Schrobsdorff, Brendan Sweeney, and Diane Vogel

The Splendid Table
Host: Lynne Rossetto Kasper
Area: National, Online
Producers: Jennifer Russell and Sally Swift

TELEVISION SHOW, IN STUDIO OR FIXED LOCATION

Barefoot Contessa
Host: Ina Garten
Network: Food Network
Producers: Olivia Ball, Carl Green, Rachel Purnell, Sophie Seiden, and Pacific Productions

French Food at Home with Laura Calder
Host: Laura Calder
Network: Food Network Canada
Producer: Johanna Eliot

Iron Chef America
Host: Alton Brown
Network: Food Network
Producers: John Bravakis, Eytan Keller, Stephen Kroopnick, and Stu Schreiberg

TELEVISION SHOW, ON LOCATION

The Best Thing I Ever Ate: Obsessions
Network: Food Network
Producers: David Hoffman, Lauren Lexton, Tom Rogan, and Eddie Saenz

Chefs A’ Field: King of Alaska
Host: Rick Moonen
Network: PBS
Producers: Heidi Hanson and Chris Warner

Gourmet’s Adventures with Ruth: The Bertinet Kitchen, Bath
Host: Ruth Reichl
Network: PBS
Producers: Christopher Collins, Deborah Hurley, and Lydia Tenaglia

TV FOOD PERSONALITY

Andrew Zimmern
Show: Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern
Network: The Travel Channel

Alton Brown
Show: Good Eats
Network: Food Network

Rick Bayless
Show: Mexico One Plate at a Time
Network: PBS

TELEVISION SPECIAL

A Moveable Feast with America’s Favorite Chefs
Hosts: José Andrés, Lidia Bastianich, Rick Bayless, Chris Kimball, Ruth Reichl, and Ming Tsai
Network: PBS
Producers: Anne Adams, Laurie Donnelly, and Deborah J. Hurley

Emeril Green: Emeril’s Culinary Adventure: Napa
Host: Emeril Lagasse
Network: Planet Green
Producers: Dominique Andrews, Jim Brennan, Elina Brown, Karen Katz, Charissa Melnick, Marie Ostrosky, Amy Smolens, and Nancy Swenton

Food Trip with Todd English
Host: Todd English
Network: PBS
Producers: Matt Cohen, Joel Colblenz, Todd English, and Gina Gargano

TELEVISION SEGMENT

ABC News Nightline
Host: John Berman
Network: ABC
Producer: Sarah Rosenberg

Chronicle
Hosts: Anthony Everett, Mary Richardson
Network: WCVB-TV Boston
Producers: Chris Stirling and Stan Leven

ABC 7 News Friday Night Special: Hungry Hound
Host: Steve Dolinsky
Network: ABC
Producer: Badriyyah Waheed

VIDEO WEBCAST

Always Hungry Video
Alwayshungryny.com/videos
Host: Jeff Zalaznick
Producers: Jamie Meyer, Jeff Zalaznick

Food. Curated.
Foodcurated.com
Host: Liza de Guia
Producer: Liza de Guia

The Greenmarket: One Farmer’s Story
Seriouseats.com
Producers: Serious Eats, Optic Nerve

Design and Graphics Awards

Winners will be announced on May 3, 2010

OUTSTANDING RESTAURANT DESIGN

For the best restaurant design or renovation in North America since January 1, 2007

Design Firm: Evan Douglis Studio
Designer: Evan Douglis
Project: Choice Market, Brooklyn, NY

Design Firm: Project M
Designer: John Bielenberg
Project: PieLab, Greensboro, AL

Design Firm: Andre Kikoski Architect
Designers: Adam Darter, Liam Harris, Gunnar Jung, Brian Lewis, and Andre Kikoski
Project: The Wright, NYC

OUTSTANDING RESTAURANT GRAPHICS

For the best restaurant graphics executed in North America since January 1, 2007

Design Firm: Korn Design
Designers: Javier Cortés, Denise Korn, Melissa Wehrman, and Ben Whitla
Project: Mercat a la Planxa, Chicago

Design Firm: Pandiscio Co.
Project: The Standard Grill, NYC

Designer: Steven Solomon
Project: Terroir, NYC

Journalism Awards

For articles published in English in 2009
Winners will be announced on May 2, 2010

CRAIG CLAIBORNE DISTINGUISHED RESTAURANT REVIEWS

Jonathan Gold
LA Weekly
“Sauced,” “Hot Birria, Cold Cerveza,”
“Hare Today”

Patric Kuh
Los Angeles
“Border Crossing,” “Peru Calling,”
“The Classic”

Jason Sheehan
Westword
“White on White,” “Wonderland,” “Mourning”

FOOD BLOG

Grub Street New York
Aileen Gallagher, Daniel Maurer, Alexandra Vallis
Newyork.grubstreet.com

Serious Eats
Ed Levine
Seriouseats.com

Hunter Angler Gardener Cook
Hank Shaw
Honest-Food.net

FOOD-RELATED COLUMNS

Colman Andrews
Gourmet
Column: Good Living Restaurants
“Veni Vidi Vetri,” “It's Up to You, New York, New York,” “Smoke and Miracles”

Dara Moskowitz Grumdahl
Minnesota Monthly
“The Doughnut Gatherer,” “Capital Grills,” “Pizza Perfect”

Rachel Wharton
Edible Brooklyn
Column: Back of the House
“Egg,” “Roberta’s,” “Franny’s and Bklyn Larder”

MAGAZINE FEATURE WRITING ABOUT RESTAURANTS AND/OR CHEFS

Alan Richman
GQ
“American Pie”

Anya von Bremzen
Saveur
“Soul of a City”

Francis Lam
Gourmet
“The Last Chinese BBQ”

MAGAZINE FEATURE WRITING WITH RECIPES

Dana Bowen
Saveur
“The Wonders of Ham”

Francine Maroukian, Jon Reiner, Staff of Esquire
Esquire
“How Men Eat”

Matt Goulding
Men’s Health
“The Beauty of the Beast”

MAGAZINE FEATURE WRITING WITHOUT RECIPES

Alan Richman
GQ
“Hillbilly Truffle”

Barry Estabrook
Gourmet
“The Price of Tomatoes”

Raffi Khatchadourian
The New Yorker
“The Taste Makers”

M.F.K. FISHER DISTINGUISHED WRITING AWARD

John T. Edge
The Oxford American
“In Through the Back Door”

Alan Richman
GQ
“Le Petit Gourmet”

Francine Prose
Saveur
“Faith and Bacon”

MULTIMEDIA FOOD FEATURE

Antoinette Bruno, Amanda McDougall, and Jonathan J. Proville
Starchefs.com
“The Art and Economics of Charcuterie, Parts 2, 3, 4”

Kevin Pang
Chicagotribune.com
“The Cheeseburger Show”

Robb Walsh
Houstonpress.com
“Not So Clear Cut”

NEWSPAPER FEATURE WRITING ABOUT RESTAURANTS AND/OR CHEFS

Tim Carman
Washington City Paper
“How Not to Hire a Chef/The Canning Process”

Jared Jacang Maher
Westword
“A Hunger to Help”

Kevin Pang
Chicago Tribune
“Plan D”

NEWSPAPER FEATURE WRITING

Sarah DiGregorio
The Village Voice
“Liver and Let Liver”

Cliff Doerksen
Chicago Reader
“The Real American Pie”

Mike Sula
Chicago Reader
“The Charcuterie Underground”

NEWSPAPER FOOD SECTION

The Boston Globe
Sheryl Julian

San Francisco Chronicle
Jon Bonné and Miriam Morgan

The Washington Post
Joe Yonan

REPORTING ON HEALTH, ENVIRONMENT ,OR NUTRITION

Monica Eng
Chicago Tribune
“Nacho Lunch? Yes, Every Day”

Daniel Engber
Slate
“Throwing Out the Wheat”

Rowan Jacobsen
EatingWell
“…Or Not to Bee”

WEBSITE FOCUSING ON FOOD, BEVERAGE, RESTAURANTS, OR NUTRITION

Chow.com
Jane Goldman

Epicurious.com
Tanya W. Steel

Saveur.com
James Oseland

WRITING ON SPIRITS, WINE, OR BEER

Dara Moskowitz Grumdahl
Minnesota Monthly
“Chardonnay Uncorked”

Jonathan Gold
LA Weekly
“The New Cocktailians”

Lettie Teague
Food & Wine
“Is Grüner a Great Wine or a Groaner”

Restaurant and Chef Awards

Winners will be announced on May 3, 2010

BEST NEW RESTAURANT

Presented by Mercedes–Benz
A restaurant opened in 2009 that already displays excellence in food, beverage, and service and is likely to have a significant impact on the industry in years to come.

Bibou
Philadelphia
Chefs/Owners: Pierre and Charlotte Calmels

Flour + Water
San Francisco
Chef/Partner: Thomas McNaughton
Partners: David White and David Steele

Frances
San Francisco
Chef/Owner: Melissa Perello

Locanda Verde
NYC
Chef/Owner: Andrew Carmellini

Marea
NYC
Chef/Partner: Michael White
Partner: Chris Cannon

RN74
San Francisco
Chef: Jason Berthold
Owners: Michael Mina and Rajat Parr

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 chefs for at least the past 5 years.

José Andrés
Minibar
Washington, D.C.

Tom Colicchio
Craft
NYC

Gary Danko
Restaurant Gary Danko
San Francisco

Suzanne Goin
Lucques
Los Angeles

Charles Phan
The Slanted Door
San Francisco

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 5 years.

Amanda Cook
CityZen at
Mandarin Oriental
Washington, D.C.

Michelle Gayer
Salty Tart Bakery
Minneapolis

Kamel Guechida
Joël Robuchon at MGM Grand Hotel & Casino
Las Vegas

Nicole Plue
Redd
Yountville, CA

Mindy Segal
Mindy’s HotChocolate
Chicago

OUTSTANDING RESTAURANT AWARD

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.

Babbo
NYC
Chef/Owner: Mario Batali
Owner: Joseph Bastianich

Boulevard
San Francisco
Chef/Owner: Nancy Oakes
Owner: Pat Kuleto

Daniel
NYC
Chef/Owner: Daniel Boulud

Highlands Bar & Grill
Birmingham, AL
Chef/Owner: Frank Stitt
Owner: Pardis Stitt

Spiaggia
Chicago
Chef/Partner: Tony Mantuano

OUTSTANDING RESTAURATEUR AWARD

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
Dahlia Bakery, Dahlia Lounge, Etta’s, Lola, Palace Kitchen, Serious Pie
Seattle

Pat Kuleto
Boulevard, Epic, Farallon, Jardinière, Martini House, Nick's Cove & Cottages, and Waterbar
San Francisco

Keith McNally
Balthazar, Lucky Strike, Minetta Tavern, Morandi, Pastis, Pravda, and Schiller’s Liquor Bar
NYC

Richard Melman
Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises
Chicago

Stephen Starr
Starr Restaurant Organization
Philadelphia

OUTSTANDING SERVICE AWARD

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.

Alinea
Chicago
Chef/Owner: Grant Achatz

Joël Robuchon at MGM Grand Hotel & Casino
Las Vegas
Chef/Owner: Joël Robuchon

La Grenouille
NYC
Owners: Charles Masson and Gisèle Masson

Michael Mina
San Francisco
Chef/Owner: Michael Mina

Vetri
Philadelphia
Chefs/Owners: Marc Vetri and Jeff Benjamin

OUTSTANDING WINE AND SPIRITS PROFESSIONAL AWARD

Presented by Southern Wine & Spirits
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.

Merry Edwards
Merry Edwards Wines
Sebastopol, CA

Paul Grieco
Hearth
NYC

Garrett Oliver
The Brooklyn Brewery
Brooklyn, NY

John Shafer and Doug Shafer
Shafer Vineyards
Napa, CA

Julian P. Van Winkle, III
Old Rip Van Winkle Distillery
Louisville, KY

OUTSTANDING WINE SERVICE AWARD

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.

A16
San Francisco
Wine Director: Shelley Lindgren

Blackberry Farm
Walland, TN
Wine Director: Andy Chabot

Frasca Food and Wine
Boulder, CO
Wine Director: Bobby Stuckey

Jean Georges
NYC
Wine Director: Bernard Sun

Restaurant Gary Danko
San Francisco
Wine Director: Jason Alexander

RISING STAR CHEF OF THE YEAR AWARD

Presented by Food Network NYC Wine & Food Festival and Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival
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.

Timothy Hollingsworth
The French Laundry
Yountville, CA

Johnny Monis
Komi
Washington, D.C.

Grégory Pugin
Veritas
NYC

Gabriel Rucker
Le Pigeon
Portland, OR

Sue Zemanick
Gautreau’s
New Orleans

BEST CHEFS IN AMERICA

Presented by Visa Signature®
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)

Michael Carlson
Schwa
Chicago

Koren Grieveson
Avec
Chicago

Arun Sampanthavivat
Arun’s
Chicago

Bruce Sherman
North Pond
Chicago

Alex Young
Zingerman's Roadhouse
Ann Arbor, MI

Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic (D.C., DE, MD, NJ, PA, VA)

Cathal Armstrong
Restaurant Eve
Alexandria, VA

Jeff Michaud
Osteria
Philadelphia

Peter Pastan
Obelisk
Washington, D.C.

Michael Solomonov
Zahav
Philadelphia

Bryan Voltaggio
Volt
Frederick, MD

Best Chef: Midwest (IA, KS, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD, WI)

Isaac Becker
112 Eatery
Minneapolis

Gerard Craft
Niche
St. Louis

Colby Garrelts
Bluestem
Kansas City, MO

Alexander Roberts
Restaurant Alma
Minneapolis

Lenny Russo
Heartland
St. Paul, MN

Best Chef: New York City (Five Boroughs)

Michael Anthony
Gramercy Tavern

Wylie Dufresne
WD-50

Gabrielle Hamilton
Prune

Daniel Humm
Eleven Madison Park

Michael White
Marea

Best Chef: Northeast (CT, MA, ME, NH, NY STATE, RI, VT)

Clark Frasier and Mark Gaier
Arrows
Ogunquit, ME

Peter X. Kelly
Xaviar’s at Piermont
Piermont, NY

Michael Leviton
Lumière
West Newton, MA

Tony Maws
Craigie on Main
Cambridge, MA

Marc Orfaly
Pigalle
Boston

Best Chef: Northwest (AK, ID, MT, OR, WA, WY)

Naomi Pomeroy
Beast
Portland, OR

Andy Ricker
Pok Pok
Portland, OR

Ethan Stowell
Union
Seattle

Cathy Whims
Nostrana
Portland, OR

Jason Wilson
Crush
Seattle

Best Chef: Pacific (CA, HI)

Michael Cimarusti
Providence
Los Angeles

Jeremy Fox
Ubuntu
Napa, CA

David Kinch
Manresa
Los Gatos, CA

Matt Molina
Osteria Mozza
Los Angeles

Michael Tusk
Quince
San Francisco

Best Chef: South (AL, AR, FL, LA, MS)

Zach Bell
Café Boulud at the Brazilian Court
Palm Beach, FL

Scott Boswell
Stella!
New Orleans

John Harris
Lilette
New Orleans

Christopher Hastings
Hot and Hot Fish Club
Birmingham, AL

Michael Schwartz
Michael’s Genuine Food & Drink
Miami

Best Chef: Southeast (GA, KY, NC, SC, TN, WV)

Hugh Acheson
Five and Ten
Athens, GA

Sean Brock
McCrady’s
Charleston, SC

Linton Hopkins
Restaurant Eugene
Atlanta

Andrea Reusing
Lantern
Chapel Hill, NC

Bill Smith
Crook’s Corner
Chapel Hill, NC

Best Chef: Southwest (AZ, CO, NM, NV, OK, TX, UT)

Bryan Caswell
Reef
Houston

Saipin Chutima
Lotus of Siam
Las Vegas

Ryan Hardy
Montagna at the Little Nell
Aspen, CO

Claude Le Tohic
Joël Robuchon at MGM Grand Hotel & Casino
Las Vegas

Rick Moonen
RM Seafood at Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino
Las Vegas

Who’s Who of Food & Beverage in America Inductees

Leah Chase
Chef/Owner, Dooky Chase Restaurant, New Orleans

Leah Chase has lived in Louisiana her entire life, moving to New Orleans when she was 14 years old. Her first job out of school was at the Oriental Laundry in the French Quarter. A week later, Chase was hired by the Colonial Restaurant on Chartres Street and she has been in the restaurant industry ever since. Chase married a musician whose family owned the Dooky Chase Restaurant. Once her children were old enough to attend school, Chase began to work at the restaurant three days a week. She started out as a hostess, but she was soon redecorating the restaurant and working as its chef. She eventually revamped the menu to reflect her Creole background. After Hurricane Katrina destroyed much of Dooky Chase’s 5th Ward location in 2005, the restaurant community got together to host a benefit in 82-year-old Chase’s honor. The guests raised $40,000, and Dooky Chase reopened in 2007 mostly for take-out food and special events. Chase is also a cooking show host and cookbook author.

Jessica B. Harris
Author and Historian, NYC

Jessica B. Harris is the author of eight critically acclaimed cookbooks documenting the foods and foodways of the African diaspora. A culinary historian and tenured professor, she has lectured on the subject at numerous institutions and colleges throughout the United States and abroad. As a journalist Harris served as a restaurant reviewer for The Village Voice and has written extensively about the culture of Africa in the Americas, particularly the foodways, for publications ranging from Essence (where she was travel editor from 1977–1980) to German Vogue. She has also written for many major food magazines including Gourmet and Food & Wine. Harris has been a national board member of the American Institute of Wine & Food, a founding member and board member of the Southern Foodways Alliance, and a board member of the Caribbean Culinary Federation.

Paul C. P. McIlhenny
President and CEO, McIlhenny Company, Avery Island, LA

Paul C. P. McIlhenny is the fourth generation of McIlhennys to produce Tabasco® brand pepper sauce, which is found in kitchen cupboards and at countless restaurants and diners throughout the United States and abroad. As were his forebears, he is directly involved in overseeing and maintaining the quality of all products under the 136-year-old Tabasco® brand. Today, McIlhenny Company sells Tabasco® brand products in more than 160 countries and territories around the world in 21 different languages and dialects. McIlhenny is also the author of The 125th Anniversary Tabasco® Cookbook.

David Rockwell
Founder and CEO, Rockwell Group, NYC

David Rockwell grew up in Chicago, Deal, New Jersey, and Guadalajara, Mexico. When he was a child, his mother, a dancer and choreographer, would cast him in community repertory productions. He brought his passion for theater, eye for color, and the spectacle of Mexico to his architecture studies at Syracuse University and, later, to his firm, Rockwell Group. Based in New York City, the group specializes in culture, hospitality, retail, theater, and film design. Recent restaurant projects include Nobu and Nobu 57 (New York and worldwide), Pod (Philadelphia), Roppongi Hills (Tokyo), and Maze (London). Rockwell is Chairman of the Board at the Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS (DIFFA) and is on the boards of the Public Theater and Citymeals-on-Wheels. He received a Presidential Design Award for his Grand Central Terminal renovation in 2000.

L. Timothy Ryan
President, Culinary Institute of America, Hyde Park, NY

Tim Ryan graduated from the Culinary Institute of America in 1977 and was the first alumnus and faculty member to rise through the ranks to become the institution’s president. As the CIA’s fifth president, Ryan has been an integral part in the American food movement, launching several new programs including the world’s first bachelor's degrees in culinary arts and baking & pastry arts management, a highly successful publishing program, and award-winning videos and television shows. He has also dramatically expanded the college's continuing education programs.

Susan Spicer
Chef/Owner, Bayona, New Orleans

Susan Spicer began her cooking career at the Louis XVI Restaurant in New Orleans in 1979. After a four-month stint at the restaurant, Spicer lived in Paris and California, but eventually came back to New Orleans, where she opened Bistro at Maison deVille at the Hotel Maison deVille in 1986. In the spring of 1990, Spicer and Regina Keever opened Bayona in a 200-year-old cottage in the French Quarter. From 1997 to 1999, Spicer owned and operated Spice, Inc, a specialty market with take-out food, cooking classes, and a bakery. In 2000, Spicer and three partners opened Herbsaint, a casual restaurant in the Warehouse district of New Orleans. She is a recipient of numerous awards, including the 1993 James Beard Foundation Award for Best Chef: Southeast. Spicer is also a cookbook author and an occasional judge on Iron Chef America.

America’s Classics Awards

Presented by The Coca-Cola Company

Restaurants with timeless appeal, beloved in their regions for quality food that reflects the character of their community. Establishments must have been in existence at least 10 years and be locally owned.

Al’s French Frys

1251 Williston Road, South Burlington, VT
Owners: Bill Bissonette and Lee Bissonette

Founded by Al and Genevieve Rusterholz in the late 1940s, Al's French Frys was originally housed in a small hut, open to the elements. Many Chittenden Countians encountered Al’s French Frys stand at the Champlain Valley Fair, where they earned a reputation that has endured for more than a half-century.

Al’s is now owned by the Bissonette family, headed by Bill Bissonette, who revealed part of the restaurant’s secret when he told a local paper that he starts with Idaho or California russets and fries them twice in a combination of beef tallow and soy bean oil at between 300 and 400 degrees for a total of about seven minutes. 

There are always lines at Al’s, night and day. You can order a pint, or the vastly more popular quart size. The pleasure of uttering the words “And a quart of fries with that,” is one of the chief charms of Al’s. 
 
The fries boast a dark and crackly exterior. Creamy white potato fluff lurks within. Al’s fries are a benchmark and a bulwark against devolution, in a world where chefs who should know better resort to frozen, cotton-flannel fries, or moan about what a pain and torment it is to cook French fries from scratch. 

—Alison Cook, Restaurant Critic, Houston Chronicle

The Bright Star

304 19th St. North, Bessemer, AL
Owners: Jimmy Koikos and Nicky Koikos

A clump of feta, tucked in a salad of iceberg and cucumbers. A stipple of oregano on a broiled snapper fillet. At the Bright Star in Bessemer, Alabama, an old steel town southwest of Birmingham, the vestiges of Greece are few.
 
Greek immigrants built the Bright Star, a vintage dining hall of intricately patterned tile floors, nicotine-patinaed woodwork, WPA-era murals of the old country, and brass chandeliers.
 
The Bright Star opened in 1907. Descendants of Bright Star founding fathers—Tom Bonduris and his cousin Bill Koikos, natives of the farming village of Peleta in the mountainous Peloponnesus region —still work the floor. Jimmy Koikos, a septuagenarian, and brother Nicky, seven years his junior, are in charge now.

The menu is an honest—and very old—fusion, Greek meets Southern, as interpreted by African American cooks: fried red snapper throats, house-cut from whole Gulf fish, are on the menu. Okra in a cornmeal crust, too. And field peas with snaps.
 
In the Birmingham area, many of the best barbecue and meat-and-three restaurants are Greek owned. And the Bright Star is the oldest and most storied of the bunch. 

—John T. Edge, Director, Southern Foodways Alliance

Calumet Fisheries

3259 E 95th Street, Chicago
Owners: The Kotlick and Toll Families

Chicago’s 95th Street Bridge, which spans the Calumet River on the city’s South Side, is known for two things: One, in the movie The Blues Brothers, Elwood demonstrated the capabilities of his new car by jumping the bridge. Two, it’s the home of Calumet Fisheries, a stand-alone hutch that has been frying and smoking seafood since 1948, when brothers-in-law Sid Kotlick and Len Toll opened the place.

To this day, the Kotlick and Toll families run the joint. It’s strictly carryout. No seating, no bathroom, no credit cards. And, if you believe the ominous street sign, no parking.

The place draws a working-class, melting-pot crowd, and a fair number of amateur fishermen. (The murky Calumet is a good place to find bluegill.) Fried perch, smelts, and frogs’ legs are big here, but they also bring in scallops, crab, catfish, and oysters.

The fried stuff is very good, but what you really want is the smoked fish, smoldering in the bunker-like smokehouse around back. Salmon steaks, shrimp, chubs, and trout, all kissed with wood and cooked with care.

—Phil Vettel, Restaurant Critic, Chicago Tribune

Gustavus Inn

PO Box 60, Gustavus, AK
Owners: JoAnn and David Lesh

Three generations of the Lesh family have welcomed guests to this farmhouse at the edge of a meadow overlooking Alaska's Icy Strait.
 
Jack and Sally Lesh started the inn in 1965, operating it as a drop-in restaurant, grocery store, and hotel. For many years it was also the town’s weather station, airline counter, and radio and telephone contact. From 1976-79 their daughter Sal and husband Tom McLaughlin continued these services, supporting the crew building nearby Glacier Bay Lodge. 

Dave and JoAnn Lesh took over as innkeepers in 1980 and raised their three sons there. Over the years, the town has acquired power, phones, and city status allowing the Gustavus Inn to rely more on serving tourists to Glacier Bay National Park during the summer months.

Supper is served family style and usually features local catches like Dungeness crab, salmon, halibut, and sablefish, as well as produce from the Inn’s munificent garden. Despite the challenges of a short growing season, that garden produces berries, potatoes, rhubarb, myriad greens, and edible flowers.

In addition to just-caught seafood, the Inn is known for sourdough pancakes with homemade spruce tip syrup and Halibut Caddy Ganty, often called Halibut Olympia, a rich mix of fish cooked with onions, sour cream, and mayonnaise.

—Providence Cicero, Restaurant Critic and Food Writer, Seattle Times

Mary & Tito’s Cafe

2711 Fourth St. N.W., Albuquerque, NM
Owners: Mary Gonzales and Antoinette Knight

Carne adovada—long-braised pork in red chile sauce—might be the most characteristic of New Mexico’s robust and deceptively simple dishes. New Mexicans argue the merits of various carne adovada preparations statewide, but aficionados nearly always rank Mary & Tito’s tops. The Gonzales family serves the fork-tender meat as the centerpiece of a plate, in overstuffed burritos, and also as a filling for enchiladas and empanadas.

Native New Mexicans and husband and wife team Mary and Tito Gonzales started their adobe cafe just north of downtown Albuquerque in 1963. Tito was the original cook and creator of the recipes. When he passed away, Mary hired more cooks and continued to run the front of the house, oversee the business, and raise their family.

From the worn but clean booths, tables, and a handful of counter stools, diners gaze over family and patron photos, the kids’ and grandkids’ sports trophies, and other mementos of family accomplishments.

Now past 80, Mary still comes in daily to greet old friends and new, while her daughter Antoinette manages the cafe. Other daughters help out too, and various grandchildren wait tables when they’re not in school.

—Cheryl Jamison, Cookbook Author and Food Writer

Lifetime Achievement Award Recipients: Ariane and Michael Batterberry

Legendary leaders in their field, Ariane and Michael Batterberry have founded two milestone national food magazines: Food Arts, the influential, award-winning publication for the restaurant and hotel trades that has won a number of the coveted Folio
Gold “Eddie” B2B awards, and Food & Wine, a leading consumer publication. Pioneers in electronic food publishing as well, they created the top rated computerized “magazine” Dining In for Time Inc. in the early 1980s. Singly or together, they are the authors of 18 books on food, art, and social history, and they have contributed a quarterly food trends column to U.S.A. Today. The Batterberrys’ awards and citations include both the James Beard Foundation’s Who’s Who in Food & Beverage in America and Editors of the Year, the International Food & Beverage Forum’s Hall of Fame, Distinguished Restaurants of
North America (DiRoNA) Honorary Hall of Fame, the Culinary Institute of America’s Masters of Hospitality award, and the Madrid Fusión award, presented by the mayor of Madrid, for having propelled the course of the American food revolution. Michael has appeared often on national and international TV as a commentator on culinary and restaurant business trends and has performed as introductory host to the Public Television series Rising Star Chefs.

Humanitarian of the Year: Wayne Kostroski Presented by Louisiana Department of Culture, Recreation & Tourism

Wayne Kostroski founded the Taste of the NFL in 1992 in an effort to create a national platform that addresses the needs of the hungry and homeless by raising awareness and money through special events and programs. Through the hard work and dedication of hundreds of volunteers, the Taste of the NFL’s Party With A Purpose event takes place each year on the eve of the Super Bowl. At the ticketed Party With A Purpose, thirty-two of the finest chefs from around the country (one from each NFL city) serve up their signature specialties alongside a current, Hall of Fame, or alumni player from each of the NFL teams, with 100 percent of the event’s proceeds going to support local and national hunger organizations. Since its inception, the Taste of the NFL has distributed in excess of $9 million. The organization has also drafted a dozen NFL teams to create and execute events in their own cities to benefit local food banks; these events have generated more than $4 million to date. 

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