James Beard Awards Nominations Announced, Bay Area Represents With Benu, Bar Agricole, Gary Danko, Way More

The semifinalists for the James Beard Foundation Awards, the year's highest honor for food and beverage professionals in North America, were announced back in February. And this morning, Eater PDX was live-blogging from the Oregon Culinary Institute to bring word of the finalists as they were announced. We've placed the mentions of local interest after the hop, but please feel free to digest the full chain of events as they unfolded earlier today, right here.

Food section, general interest: GQ, SF Chronicle, Washington Post

Wine and Spirits Journalism: Jon Bonné (Saveur), Jon Fine (Food & Wine), Alan Richman (GQ)

General Cooking Cookbooks: The Essential New York Times Cook Book, Heart of the Artichoke (by Chez Panisse’s David Tanis), Radically Simple

Beverage: Opus Vino, Reading Between the Wines, Secrets of the Sommeliers

Professional Point of View Cookbooks: Michael Chiarello’s Bottega, The Modern Café, Noma

Outstanding restaurant design: Bar Agricole, SF; Pitfire Pizza, LA; Toast, CA

Outstanding Wine & Spirits Professional: Sam Calagione, Merry Edwards, Paul Grieco, Rajat Parr (RN74), Julian P. Van Winkle, III.

Outstanding Wine Service: A16, Blackberry Farm, Frasca Food and Wine, Picasso at Bellagio, The Modern

Who’s Who Inductees: Jonathan Gold, Farmer Lee Jones, Charles Phan, Frank Stitt, Nick Valenti

Best Chef Pacific: Michael Cimarusti, Christopher Kostow, Daniel Patterson, Richard Reddington, Michael Tusk

Rising Star Chef: Aaron London, Thomas McNaughton, Gabriel Rucker, Christina Tosi, Sue Zemanick

Outstanding Restaurant: Blue Hill, NYC; Boulevard, SF; Eleven Madison Park, NYC; Highlands Bar & Grill, Alabama; Vetri, Philly

Best New Restaurant: ABC Kitchen, Benu, Girl & the Goat, Menton, Torrisi Italian Specialties

Outstanding Chef: Jose Andres, Gary Danko, Suzanne Goin, Paul Kahan, Charles Phan

Outstanding Restaurateur: Bruce Bromberg and Eric Bromberg, Tom Douglas, Pat Kuleto, Richard Melman, Phil Suarez

Photography: The Blue Chair Jam Cookbook, Noma, Tartine Bread

· Eater Live: Live-Blogging the James Beard Award Nominations [-EN-]