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The semifinalists were announced back in February, and now, at long last, the James Beard Foundation, the grand arbiters of taste, have announced the final nominees for the 2009 awards. There are over 50 categories in total, ranging from broadcast media to books, so if you're really interested in all of them, check out the Beard site. But you're here for the main show: the restaurant and chef nominations.
This year, the Bay Area represents well, albeit maybe not as strong as in years past, based on numbers. Though shut out in some major categories, locals grabbed nominations in the following: Outstanding Restaurant (Boulevard), Rising Star Chef (Nate Appleman) and Outstanding Pastry Chef (Nicole Plue, Redd). But for local rooting interests, the real competition is in the Best Chef: Pacific Region, which is full of Bay Area chefs:
Jeremy Fox, UbuntuFor the bettors and handicappers in the crowd, we should note that both Keane and Kinch earned the same nomination last year, but ultimately lost to Delfina's Craig Stoll. The big Beard event goes down on May 4th, so without further ado, here's the full list of nominees. Locals in bold:
Douglas Keane, Cyrus
Loretta Keller, Coco500
David Kinch, Manresa
Daniel Patterson, Coi
OUTSTANDING RESTAURATEUR AWARD
Tom Douglas
Tom Douglas Restaurants
Seattle
Keith McNally
Balthazar, Lucky Strike, Morandi, Pastis, Pravda, and Schiller's Liquor Bar
NYC
Richard Melman
Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises
Chicago
Drew Nieporent
Myriad Restaurant Group
NYC
Stephen Starr
Starr Restaurant Organization
Philadelphia
OUTSTANDING CHEF AWARD
José André
Minibar
Washington, D.C.
Dan Barber
Blue Hill
NYC
Tom Colicchio
Craft
NYC
Suzanne Goin
Lucques
Los Angeles
Paul Kahan
Blackbird
Chicago
OUTSTANDING RESTAURANT AWARD
Babbo
NYC
Chef/Owner: Mario Batali
Owner: Joe Bastianich
Boulevard
San Francisco
Chef/Owner: Nancy Oakes
Owner: Pat Kuleto
Fore Street
Portland, ME
Chef/Owner: Sam Hayward
Owner: Victor Leon and Dana Street
Highlands Bar & Grill
Birmingham, AL
Chef/Owner: Frank Stitt
Jean Georges
NYC
Chef/Owner: Jean-Georges Vongerichten
Owner: Phil Suarez
RISING STAR CHEF OF THE YEAR AWARD
Nate Appleman
A16
San Francisco
Sean Brock
McCrady's
Charleston, SC
Johnny Monis
Komi
Washington, D.C.
Gabriel Rucker
Le Pigeon
Portland, OR
Michael Solomonov
Zahav
Philadelphia
Sue Zemanick
Gautreau's
New Orleans
BEST NEW RESTAURANT
The Bazaar by José Andrés at SLS Hotel at Beverly Hills
Los Angeles
Chef/Owner: José Andrés
Owners: Sam Narian and Philippe Starck
L2O
Chicago
Chef: Laurent Gras
Owner: Richard Melman
Momofuku Ko
NYC
Chef/Owner: David Chang
Scarpetta
NYC
Chef/Owner: Scott Conant
OUTSTANDING PASTRY CHEF AWARD
Gina DePalma
Babbo
NYC
Kamel Guechida
Joël Robuchon at MGM Grand Hotel & Casino
Las Vegas
Pichet Ong
P*ong
NYC
Nicole Plue
Redd
Yountville, CA
Mindy Segal
Mindy's HotChocolate
Chicago
OUTSTANDING WINE SERVICE AWARD
Bin 36
Chicago
Wine Director: Brian Duncan
Blackberry Farm
Walland, TN
Wine Director: Andy Chabot
Le Bernardin
NYC
Wine Director: Aldo Sohm
Patina
Los Angeles
Wine Director: Eric Espuny
Picasso at Bellagio
Las Vegas
Wine Director: Robert Smith
OUTSTANDING WINE AND SPIRITS PROFESSIONAL AWARD
Dale DeGroff
Dale DeGroff Co., Inc.
NYC
Merry Edwards
Merry Edwards Wines
Sebastopol, CA
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 SERVICE AWARD
Daniel
NYC
Owners: Daniel Boulud and Joel Smilow
Emeril's New Orleans
New Orleans
Owner: Emeril Lagasse
La Grenouille
NYC
Owners: Charles Masson and Giséle Masson
Spiaggia
Chicago
Owner: Larry Levy
Vetri
Philadelphia
Owners: Marc Vetri and Jeff Benjamin
BEST CHEFS IN AMERICA
Best Chef: Pacific (CA, HI)
Jeremy Fox
Ubuntu
Napa, CA
Douglas Keane
Cyrus
Healdsburg, CA
Loretta Keller
Coco500
San Francisco
David Kinch
Manresa
Los Gatos, CA
Daniel Patterson
Coi
San Francisco
Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic (D.C., DE, MD, NJ, PA, VA)
Cathal Armstrong
Restaurant Eve
Alexandria, VA
Jose Garces
Amada
Philadelphia
Peter Pastan
Obelisk
Washington, D.C.
Maricel Presilla
Cucharamama
Hoboken, NJ
Vikram Sunderam
Rasika
Washington, D.C.
Best Chef: Midwest (IA, KS, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD, WI)
Isaac Becker
112 Eatery
Minneapolis
Gerard Craft
Niche
St. Louis, MO
Colby Garrelts
Bluestem
Kansas City, MO
Tim McKee
La Belle Vie
Minneapolis
Alexander Roberts
Restaurant Alma
Minneapolis
Best Chef: Great Lakes (IL, IN, MI, OH)
Koren Grieveson
Avec
Chicago
Arun Sampanthavivat
Arun's
Chicago
Bruce Sherman
North Pond
Chicago
Michael Symon
Lola
Cleveland
Alex Young
Zingerman's Roadhouse
Ann Arbor, MI
Best Chef: New York City (Five Boroughs)
Michael Anthony
Gramercy Tavern
Terrance Brennan
Picholine
Wylie Dufresne
WD-50
Gabrielle Hamilton
Prune
Gabriel Kreuther
The Modern
Best Chef: Northeast (CT, MA, ME, NH, NY STATE, RI, VT)
Rob Evans
Hugo's
Portland, ME
Clark Frasier and Mark Gaier
Arrows
Ogunquit, ME
Michael Leviton
Lumiére
West Newton, MA
Tony Maws
Craigie on Main
Cambridge, MA
Marc Orfaly
Pigalle
Boston
Best Chef: Northwest (AK, ID, MT, OR, WA, WY)
Maria Hines
Tilth
Seattle
Joseba Jiménez de Jiménez
The Harvest Vine
Seattle
Ethan Stowell
Union
Seattle
Cathy Whims
Nostrana
Portland, OR
Jason Wilson
Crush
Seattle
Best Chef: Southeast (GA, KY, NC, SC, TN, WV)
Hugh Acheson
Five and Ten
Athens, GA
Linton Hopkins
Restaurant Eugene
Atlanta
Mike Lata
Fig
Charleston, SC
Bill Smith
Crook's Corner
Chapel Hill, NC
Bob Waggoner
Charleston Grill
Charleston, SC
Best Chef: Southwest (AZ, CO, NM, NV, OK, TX, UT)
Paul Bartolotta
Bartolotta Ristorante di Mare at Wynn Las Vegas
Sharon Hage
York Street
Dallas
Ryan Hardy
Montagna at the Little Nell
Aspen, CO
Claude Le Tohic
Joël Robuchon at MGM Grand Hotel & Casino
Las Vegas
Andrew Weissman
Le Rêve
San Antonio
Best Chef: South (AL, AR, FL, LA, MS)
Zach Bell
Café Boulud at the Brazilian Court
Palm Beach, FL
John Currence
City Grocery
Oxford, MS
John Harris
Lilette
New Orleans
Douglas Rodriguez
Ola
Miami Beach, FL
Michael Schwartz
Michael’s Genuine Food & Drink
Miami
· James Beard Award Nominees [JBF]
· Semi-Finalists For '09 James Beard Awards [~ESF~]