San Francisco chef Richie Nakano is as widely known for his opinions as he is for his ramen. An online biography describes the cocksure chef as “the expert of kitchen trash talk”, his regularly updated Twitter feed peppered with sideswipes at everything from local regulations to “Best Of” lists.
Before I venture away to the warm, sandy beaches of Miami for the 2011 Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival, I certainly wanted to note the big announcement of last week – the James Beard Foundation Award semifinalists were released! While the national list is extensive, I wanted to recognize all of the fantastic Pacific Northwest nominees: