Chicago Semifinalists for James Beard Awards

The Semifinalists for the James Beard Foundation Awards 2010 have been announced and the list is littered with Chicago establishments and professionals.  It's always exciting to see how well Chicago does with these awards and to bask in the fame that is given to our culinary scene. 

Now for those of you who don't know, the James Beard Awards are a BIG deal.  They've been called "The Oscars of the food world," by Time magazine.  They are named after one of the biggest names in American culinary history, Mr. James Beard.  Mr. Beard was born in Portland, Oregon, in 1903.  His mother ran a boarding house and began an 81 year culinary journey into American food.  He was dubbed "dean of American cookery," by the New York Times.

Now let's get to our Chicago nominees:

• Outstanding Restauranteur: Donald J. Madia (Avec, Big Star, Blackbird, The Publican, The Violet Hour) and Richard Melman (LEYE).


• Outstanding Chef: Jean Joho (Everest) and Paul Kahan (Blackbird)


• Outstanding Restaurant: Les Nomades and Spiaggia


• Best New Restaurant: Cibo Matto at the Wit and Pelago at Raffaello Hotel


• Outstanding Pastry Chef: Mindy Segal (Hot Chocolate)


• Outstanding Wine Service: Alinea and NoMI at Park Hyatt


• Outstanding Wine and Spirit Professional: Brian Duncan (BIN36) and Alpana Singh (LEYE)


• Outstanding Service: Alinea and Spiaggia


• Best Chef, Great Lakes: Michael Carlson (Schwa), Curtis Duffy (Avenues at Peninsula), Koren Grieveson (Avec), Bill Kim (Urbanbelly), Chris Nugent (Les Nomades), Arun Sampanthavivat (Arun's), Bruce Sherman (North Pond) and Giuseppe Tentori (Boka)

The finalists will be announced on March 22nd at the Palace Cafe in New Orleans leading up to the Media Awards presented May 2nd and the James Beard Foundation Awards given out on May 3rd.  Good luck to all Chicago Semifinalists!

At Chicago Gourmet 2009

It was a cloudy, but beatiful weekend, and a great chance to enjoy outstanding wine and local food at Chicago Gourmet 2009.  My wife and I headed down on the Green Line, and then walked over to beautiful Millenium Park, where all the festivities were being held.  There were tents set up everywhere- in case of rain, each one filled with samples from Southern Wine & Spirits brands or local food and beverage options.  It was time to dive in, eat, drink, and enjoy!

We darted for the food tents first, to see what was cooking.  We were greeted by a huge pig on a grill, being cooked and sliced by the chefs from Jose Garces' Mercat a la Planxa.  This was extremely delicious, and started us off with a popular theme now being used by many chefs- pork.  Just recently looked down upon, the "other white meat" is reaching new heights in culinary acclaim.  I have always been a fan, and use pork as a key flavor component in many of my own home dishes.  This can also be served in a group setting at Mercat with advanced reservations.  We also started off with some great pork belly served up by the Four Seasons, smoked sturgeon from Blackbird, and heirloom tomatoes and mozzarella from Keefer's.  Countless other restaurants were onhand, giving out great samples like The Gage, Sunda, Spring, Arun's, Japonais, Hugo's, Mexique, Piccolo Sogno, L20, Carnivale, and C-House.  This was an awesome display of the Chicago culinary scene- one of the best in the world.

Next we headed for the Terlato tent, which was definitely the most awesome wine display.  Many prestigious brands were being poured like Two Hands, Sokol Blosser, Il Poggione, Bollinger (James Bonds' fav Champagne), M. Chapoutier, Chimney Rock, Rust en Vrede, and Terlato Family Vineyards.  Credenzas and couches were set up for ambience and comfort, and it may have been the most relaxed, yet festive tastings I've been to.  We had the fortune of running into Anthony Terlato, who could not have been more inviting.  We were looking forward to his cooking demo with Fabio Vivani.

We made it to a few demos, which were held in the Jay Pritzker Pavillion.  The first we witnessed was with a great trio of chefs: Mindy Segal of Hot Chocolate, Bill Kim of Urban Belly, and Stephanie Izard of highly anticipated The Drunken Goat.  They would be cooking with pork and peaches, with recipes that may be included on their own menus.  Chef Kim went with a pork belly sandwich, which may be featured at his new restaurant, Belly Shack, while chef Izard went for pork belly over seared tofu, for a healthy, yet savory offering.

Next, it was time for Anthony Terlato, offering his Santa Margherita Prosecco to the audience, and Fabio Vivani, of Top Chef and Cafe Firenze, cooking up some simple seared tuna.  This was not only a very good sparkling wine, but also an excellent pairing.

There were also many other great demos, including the artistry of seafood & salt, seasonal cuisine, asian delights, and farm to table. 

 

I was amazed by all the fine food, wine, and spirits onhand.  It was filled with delight after delight for the senses!  If you have never been to this 2nd annual event, make sure to be looking for Chicago Gourmet 2010.  It will be worth it!