Other than the Great Lakes category, which was won by Fat Rice's Abe Conlon, Chicago noms didn't fare too well at tonight's awards . . .

Chicago Reader Staff wrote:First Greg Wade from Publican Quality Bread lost out for Outstanding Baker. Then Sarah Rinkavage of Marisol went down for Rising Star Chef of the Year Marisol. And then Meg Galus of the Boka Group lost Outstanding Pastry Chef.

Chicago chefs, restaurants lose out at James Beard Foundation Awards

Oh, and there was this . . .

Chicago Reader Staff wrote:At least Sun Wah's preordained Lifetime Achievement Award just goes to show that no matter how much the city loves to shut you down, people can still love you.

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James Beard 'belongs in the premier American food and dining city': Ceremony to remain in Chicago through 2027

https://www.chicagotribune.com/dining/c ... story.html

James Beard Awards: Boka Restaurant Group, Parachute chefs among big winners in Chicago
http://bit.ly/2vJTZO4

The James Beard Foundation is shaking up its restaurant award regions, carving the country into new territories to better reflect shifts in population and dining.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/17/dini ... -ios-share

Tzuco and Boka restaurants and 14 chefs among Chicago’s 2020 James Beard Award semifinalists

https://www.chicagotribune.com/dining/c ... story.html

Dave148 wrote:Tzuco and Boka restaurants and 14 chefs among Chicago’s 2020 James Beard Award semifinalists

https://www.chicagotribune.com/dining/c ... story.html

Thattu is a finalist for Best New Restaurant. Considering they are only in a food hall, that's pretty amazing. Their food is great. Congratulations to them and everyone else.

Dave148 wrote:Tzuco and Boka restaurants and 14 chefs among Chicago’s 2020 James Beard Award semifinalists

No Chicago restaurants made the Outstanding Hospitality ballot, but two restaurants in neighboring states did: Hobnob, in Racine, Wisconsin, and Love Handle, in Indianapolis.

Hobnob on the list, that is pretty cool!

G Wiv wrote:

Dave148 wrote:Tzuco and Boka restaurants and 14 chefs among Chicago’s 2020 James Beard Award semifinalists

No Chicago restaurants made the Outstanding Hospitality ballot, but two restaurants in neighboring states did: Hobnob, in Racine, Wisconsin, and Love Handle, in Indianapolis.

Hobnob on the list, that is pretty cool!

LOL, yep. The one that stood out for me, as well.

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Awards postponed
https://thetakeout.com/james-beard-awar ... 1842312350

Here are Chicago’s 2020 James Beard Award finalists
https://www.timeout.com/chicago/news/he ... sts-050420

There will be no James Beard Awards handed out to outstanding chefs and restaurants this year. After first committing to a virtual ceremony last month, instead of the usual Chicago awards gala, the James Beard Foundation announced today that it will not announce 2020 winners, which would have been chosen from the already-announced list of chef and restaurant awards finalists.

https://www.eater.com/2020/8/20/2137735 ... estaurants

Behind the Cancellation of James Beard Awards, Worries About Chefs’ Behavior and No Black Winners
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/25/dini ... ticleShare

Dave148 wrote:Behind the Cancellation of James Beard Awards, Worries About Chefs’ Behavior and No Black Winners
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/25/dini ... ticleShare

Just some crazy-ass shit in that piece. I think it probably confirms quite a bit of what many people have felt about the restaurant side of Beards for years (myopic, self-important, self-congratulatory, exclusionary, etc.). Seems like the recent industry reckoning prompted a look in the mirror for tptb behind the Beards -- and provided a perspective many outsiders already had.

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My favorite aspect of the James Beard Awards are the America's Classics. It is something you cannot nominate or influence, it is manna from Heaven.

2022 class:

Casa Vega
13301 Ventura Blvd, Sherman Oaks, CA
Owner: Christy Vega

Corinne’s Place
1254 Haddon Ave, Camden, NJ
Owner: Corinne Bradley-Powers

Solly’s Grille
4629 N Port Washington Rd, Milwaukee, WI
Owners: Glenn Fieber

Wo Hop
17 Mott St, New York, NY
Owners: Huang Family

The Busy Bee Café
810 Martin Luther King Jr Dr, SW Atlanta, GA
Owner: Tracy Gates

Florence’s Restaurant
1437 Northeast 23rd Street, Oklahoma City, OK
Owner: Florence Kemp

Very cool. I was just in Atlanta last week and grabbed lunch from Busy Bee. I really enjoyed it and am glad they received this!

2022 Restaurant and Chef Awards semifinalist

Best Chef: Midwest (IA, KS, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD, WI) 
Dane Baldwin, The Diplomat, Milwaukee

Karen Bell, Bavette La Boucherie, Milwaukee

Daniel Bonanno, A Pig in a Fur Coat, Madison, WI

Rob Connoley, Bulrush, St. Louis

Jorge Guzmán, Petite León, Minneapolis

Michael Haskett, M.B. Haskett Delicatessen, Sioux Falls, SD

Dan Jacobs and Dan Van Rite, EsterEv, Milwaukee

Mary Kastman, Driftless Cafe, Viroqua, WI

Anthony Kueper, Dolce, Omaha, NE

Gregory León, Amilinda, Milwaukee

Rachel McGill, DISH Restaurant, Lincoln, NE

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

Chicago Has Nine James Beard Award Finalists For 2022

https://chicago.eater.com/2022/3/16/229 ... icago-2022

Chicago Tribune food critic Louisa Chu nominated for James Beard award for restaurant reviews.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/dining/c ... story.html

Virtue’s Erick Williams Wins Chicago’s Sole James Beard Award

https://chicago.eater.com/2022/6/13/231 ... reat-lakes

The James Beard Foundation announced a slew of changes to next year’s Media Awards and Restaurant and Chef Awards

https://www.eater.com/23387144/james-be ... ing-bakery

My favorite aspect of the James Beard Awards are the America's Classics. It is something you cannot nominate or influence, it is manna from Heaven.

2023 Class

America’s Classics: Great Lakes Region
Wagner’s Village Inn
22171 Main St, Oldenburg, Indiana 47036
Owner: Dan Saccomando

America’s Classics: Mountain Region
Pekin Noodle Parlor
117 S Main St, Butte, Montana
Owner: Jerry Tam

America’s Classics: Northeast Region
Nezinscot Farm
284 Turner Center Rd, Turner, Maine
Owner: Gloria and Gregg Varney

America’s Classics: Pacific and Northwest Region
Manago Hotel
82-6155 Hawaiʻi Belt Rd, Captain Cook, Hawai‘i
Owners: Britney and Taryn Manago

America’s Classics: South Region
La Casita Blanca
Villa Palmeras
351 Calle Tapia, San Juan, Puerto Rico
Owners: Jesús Pérez Ruiz, Mildred De León, Leonardo Pérez De León, Jesús Pérez De León

America’s Classics: Texas Region
Joe’s Bakery & Coffee Shop
2305 E 7th St, Austin, Texas
Owner: Paula Avila

Chicago Has Five James Beard Award Finalists for 2023

Emerging Chef

Damarr Brown, Virtue

Best New Restaurant

Obélix

Outstanding Hospitality

*Sepia

Best Chef: Great Lakes

*Diana Dávila Boldin, Mi Tocaya Antojería

Tim Flores and Genie Kwon, Kasama

https://chicago.eater.com/2023/3/29/236 ... icago-2023

Odd that Eater didn't include Khmai Cambodian Fine Dining in their list of Chicago finalists.

Best New Restaurant
Khmai Cambodian Fine Dining, Chicago, IL
Obélix, Chicago, IL

incite wrote:Odd that Eater didn't include Khmai Cambodian Fine Dining in their list of Chicago finalists.

Best New Restaurant
Khmai Cambodian Fine Dining, Chicago, IL
Obélix, Chicago, IL

Are you saying there's a typo? I looked at CNN's and Bon Appétit list and there was no Khmai. Beards' own website won't work.

bweiny wrote:Are you saying there's a typo? I looked at CNN's and Bon Appétit list and there was no Khmai. Beards' own website won't work.

I was indeed mistaken. Whoops.

2023 Media Award nominees has been announced

Profile
Recognizes a single distinctive piece that brings to life the world of a chef, restaurateur, grower, producer, or other figure or group of significance to food and/or drink.

“Being Paula Camp”
Monica Eng
Chicago

“Tribe to Table”
Carolyn Kormann
The New Yorker

“The Sweetest Harvest”
Kayla Stewart
Food & Wine

Monica Eng asked an AI to write about her life. It claimed she had a James Beard, though until now she has not. So maybe this AI program read into the future?

There might be more locals on there, so please pipe up if you identify them.

Regards,
Cathy2