2010 James Beard Award Finalists Announced in New Orleans

Hurrah! The 2010 James Beard Foundation Award finalists were announced this morning in New Orleans with a number of great names making the list. Chefs and supporters were welcomed to the Big Easy over the weekend with a traditional New Orleans boil celebrating twenty years of award history. Chefs really do throw the best parties.

Notable finalists on the Restaurant and Chef awards list:

  • Locanda Verde (NYC) – Best New Restaurant
  • Chef José Andrés – Outstanding Chef
  • Chef Tom Colicchio – Outstanding Chef
  • Chef Tom Douglas – Outstanding Restaurateur
  • Alinea (Chicago) – Outstanding Service
  • Michael Mina (San Francisco) – Outstanding Service
  • Joël Robuchon at MGM Grand Hotel & Casino (Las Vegas) – Outstanding Service
  • A16 (San Francisco) – Outstanding Wine Service
  • Jean Georges (NYC) – Outstanding Wine Service
  • Chef Timothy Hollingsworth – Rising Star Chef of the Year

A big congratulations for Portland chefs Gabriel Rucker (Rising Star Chef of the Year), Naomi Pomeroy (Best Chef Northwest), Andy Ricker (Best Chef Northwest), and Cathy Whim (Best Chef Northwest). Other regional favorites include chefs Alex Young (Best Chef Great Lakes), Bryan Voltaggio (Best Chef Mid-Atlantic), Jeremy Fox (Best Chef Pacific), Michael Schwartz (Best Chef South), Bryan Caswell (Best Chef Southwest), Ryan Hardy (Best Chef Southwest), and Rick Moonen (Best Chef Southwest).

Earlier this month it was noted that Ariane and Michael Batterberry, the founders of Food & Wine and Food Arts magazines, would be honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award this year as well. You can get the full list of nominees, as well as the finalists for the Media and Book Awards, here at the James Beard website.

I’ll be in New York for the James Beard Awards gala on May 3rd, with additional winner coverage in an upcoming issue of Northwest Palate magazine, so stay tuned.

~Jennifer Heigl

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