Good Times and Great Eats at the 2005 James Beard Awards
By June Jacobs, CCP
The 15th Annual James Beard Awards provided enjoyable entertainment Monday evening, May 2nd. This year’s awards were dedicated to Julia Child, who passed away last August, and whose insistence on purchasing the James Beard’s house so it could continue to be a gathering place for chefs and other culinary professionals provided much of the inspiration for the establishment of the organization.
The event, held at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York, was a two-part affair. The evening began at 5:30 in the Grand Ballroom set up as an auditorium, where the winners of the Restaurant, Cookbook and Broadcast Awards were announced. Charles Gibson, host of Good Morning, America! and long-time associate of Julia’s (as she often appeared on the show) served as the affable Master of Ceremonies. A complete list of winners is attached to this article. After all the awards were presented, the black-tie-clad crowd adjourned to the ballroom on the floor below to enjoy the traditional reception.
“The significance of The James Beard Foundation Awards is that nominees and winners are selected by their peers,” said Dorothy Cann Hamilton, new President of The James Beard Foundation. “To win a James Beard Foundation Award is the highest honor in the industry a culinary professional can achieve.” Ms. Hamilton noted that trustees and staff of The James Beard Foundation do not vote. The James Beard Foundation is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to furthering the practice and appreciation of the culinary arts.
A new award was introduced this year: Restaurateur of the Year. As evidence of its newness, the nominees were all extremely high profile, heavy-hitters in the industry: (in alphabetical order) Daniel Boulud, (The Dinex Group); Thomas Keller, (The French Laundry); Richard Melman, (Lettuce Entertain You); Danny Meyer, (Union Square Hospitality Group); Drew Nieporent, (Myriad Restaurant Group). Danny Meyer was the first recipient in this category.
I have to admit to being completely unfamiliar with the Cookbook of the Year, Rick Stein's "Complete Seafood!" There are so many new cookbooks each year it's become impossible to keep up with them all. Chef of the Year was the very talented and personable Mario Batali of Babbo and assorted other New York eateries. Restaurant of the Year honors this time went to the 100-year-old Galatoire's in New Orleans. It just goes to show you don't have to be trendy. My friend Ana Sortun of Oleana in Cambridge, MA was chosen Best Chef Northeast, and long-time colleague, Sue Zelickson of Minneapolis, MN won for her local food radio show. Congrats!
Jacques Pépin received the Lifetime Achievement Award, and along with Stephanie Hersh, Julia Child's longtime assistant, served as Executive Chefs for an extraordinary walk-around tasting. Highlights for me were Lydia Shire's (Locke-Ober, Boston) Duck Confit and Crab Salad (She served a whole dinner!), Ariane Daguin's (D'Artagnan, Newark, NJ) Dream Cassoulet, Michael Laiskonis' (Le Bernardin, NY) Chocolate Cream served in an eggshell with Maldon Sea Salt. Lidia Bastianich's (Felidia, NYC and PBS TV shows) unpronounceable dish (Rice Sartu filled with Burrata cheese served over Scaffata) was a little green (veggie) bite that went perfectly with a mouthful of Louis Jadot's Auxey-Duresses, whose station was just across the aisle. Ming Tsai (Blue Ginger, Wellesley, MA) served whole heads-on shrimp with instructions to "suck the brains." Robert Del Grande’s (Café Annie, Houston) Coffee-Roasted Beef Fillet had a depth of flavor that lingers in my memory, and Todd English’s (Olives, Boston, New York, etc.) Crispy Garlic Frog Legs with Oniony Risotto had flavors and textures that “popped” all over the place.
All the chefs who participated in the reception, as well as those who cooked the dinner Friday, April 29th at the Grand Hyatt Hotel, where the Journalism Awards were announced, (Jody Adams, Rialto and Blu, Cambridge, MA, and Gordon Hamersley, Hamersley’s Bistro, Boston, MA) were chosen for their ties to Julia. I know she would have enjoyed being there to sample all the delicious food prepared in her memory.
WINNERS
2005 James Beard Foundation Journalism Awards
For articles published in 2004
Category: Newspaper Feature Writing About Restaurants and/or Chefs With or Without Recipes Rick Nelson Star Tribune, Minneapolis “Sweet Success” 4/15/04
Category: Newspaper Feature Writing With Recipes Kitty Crider Austin American-Statesman “Anything for Mother: Remembering One February Morning with Mom and a Batch of Angel Biscuits” 5/5/04
Category: Newspaper Feature Writing Without Recipes Dai Huynh Houston Chronicle “A Mountain of Hope” 11/28/04
Category: Newspaper Restaurant Review or Critique Jonathan Gold LA Weekly “Beyond Urban Rustic,” “Post-Puck Generation – Cooking in the Age of Anxiety,” “Koreatown’s Top 40” 10/1/04, 7/16/04, 2/6/04
Category: Newspaper or Magazine Reporting on Nutrition or Food-Related Consumer Issues Malcolm Gay Riverfront Times, St. Louis “Eat Me” 6/9/04
Category: Newspaper Writing on Spirits, Wine, or Beer Allie Johnson The Pitch, Kansas City, MO “Wine Makes Us Wet” 9/30/04
Category: Newspaper Columns Todd Kliman Washington City Paper “Auteur de Force,” “Mex Appeal,” “Kid You Not” 5/14/04, 5/21/04, 5/28/04
Category: Internet Writing on Food, Restaurant, Beverage, or Nutrition Jennifer Rosen Vinchotzi.com “When Corks Attack – They Do It With TCA” 2/8/04
Category: Magazine Feature Writing About Restaurants and/or Chefs With or Without Recipes Miles Chapin Saveur “Through the Doors of Lüchow’s” 4/04
Category: Magazine Feature Writing With Recipes Julie Powell Archaeology Magazine “The Trouble with Blood: A Modern Chef Takes on the Challenge of Ancient Cooking” 11-12/04
Category: Magazine Feature Writing Without Recipes James Lawrence EatingWell Magazine “Catch of the Day: Choosing the Right Seafood in a World of Scaremongers, Fishmongers, and Scientists Trolling for Credible Answers” Spring/04
Category: Magazine Restaurant Review or Critique Alan Richman GQ “The Restaurant Commandments,” “The Thing That Ate New York,” “Stick a Fork in Jean-Georges” 7/04, 11/04, 12/04
Category: Magazine Columns Lettie Teague Food & Wine Wine Matters - “Educating Peter,” “Educating Peter: Geography Class,” “Educating Peter: The Rules of Pairing” 9/04, 10/04, 11/04
Category: Magazine Writing on Spirits, Wine, or Beer Natalie MacLean Ottawa City Magazine “Waiter, There’s a Flaw in My Wine” 12/04
Category: Newsletter Writing on Food, Beverage, Restaurant, and Nutrition PinotReport Gregory S. Walter
Category: Newspaper Section Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Suzanne Martinson
Category: MFK Fisher Distinguished Writing Award Mei Chin Saveur “Eat Drink Mother Daughter” 3/04
WINNERS
2005 James Beard Foundation
/Viking Range Broadcast Media Awards
For television and radio programs aired in 2004
Category: Television Food Segment, National or Local Martha Stewart Living Host: Martha Stewart Network: Syndicated Executive Producer: Linda Corradina Producers: Greta Anthony, Elena Ferretti
Category: Television Food Show, Local In Wine Country: “Cool Kitchen” Host: Mary Babbitt Network: NBC 11/KNTV, San Francisco Producer: Mary Orlin
Category: Television Food Show, National Bobby Flay Chef Mentor Host: Bobby Flay Network: The Food Network Executive Producer: Kim Martin Producer: Michael Sheridan
Category: Radio Food Show, Local Holiday Special Host: Sue Zelickson Area: WCCO-AM/CBS, Minnesota/Wisconsin Producers: Rocco Bonello, Dan Geiger
Category: Radio Food Show, National P.R.I.’s the World Host: Steve Dolinsky Network: Public Radio International Producer: David Leveille
WINNERS
2005 James Beard Foundation
Design and Graphics Awards
Category: Outstanding Restaurant Design For the best restaurant design or renovation in North America since January 1, 2002
Design Firm: Thomas Schlesser Design Designer: Thomas Schlesser Thomas Schlesser 2 King Street, Suite 7E New York, NY 10012 917.673.6692 Project: Avec 615 West Randolph Street Chicago, IL 60661 312-377-2002
Tie Design Firm: Studio Gaia Designer: Ilan Waisbrod 401 Washington Street New York, NY 10013 212-680-3500 Project: Solea Restaurant, W Mexico City Campos Eliscos 252 Mexico City, Mexico 11560 011-5255-9138-1818
Category: Outstanding Restaurant Graphics For the best restaurant graphics executed in North America since January 1, 2002 Design Firm: James Barondess Designer: James Barondess 66 Beacon Street Boston, MA 02108 617-367-1945 Project: The Butcher Shop 552 Tremont Street Boston, MA 02118 617-423-4800
How To Enter for 2006 Entry forms for the 2006 awards will be available in late September on www.jamesbeard.org, or by faxing requests to: 212-627-1064. Membership in, and service to, The James Beard Foundation are neither requirements nor criteria for the awards selection. Staff and trustees of The James Beard Foundation do not vote. The James Beard Foundation is a notfor-profit organization dedicated to furthering the practice and appreciation of the culinary arts. For membership information, call 1-800-36-BEARD (800-362-3273).
The James Beard Foundation Awards are supported in kind by the following sponsors: All-Clad Bakeware; All-Clad Cookware; American Express Company; Chefwear; Colavita Extra Virgin Olive Oil; Contessa Premium Foods, Ecolab, Gallo of Sonoma Winery; illy caffè North America, Inc.; KitchenAid Home Appliances; Kobrand Corporation; Melissa’s; Cattlemen’s Beef Board and National Cattlemen’s Beef Association; S.Pellegrino; Smithfield Foods; Southern Wine & Spirits of New York, Williams-Sonoma, Waterford Wedgwood and Viking Range Corporation. The American Express ® Card is the Official Card of The James Beard Foundation Awards.
Category: KitchenAid Cookbook of the Year Rick Stein’s Complete Seafood Author: Rick Stein Publisher: Ten Speed Press Editor: Lorena Jones Price: $40.00
Category: KitchenAid Cookbook Hall of Fame The Great Scandinavian Baking Book Author: Beatrice Ojakangas Publisher: University of Minnesota Press Editor: Todd Orjala Price: $18.95
Category: Baking and Desserts A Blessing of Bread: Recipes and Rituals, Memories and Mitzvah Author: Maggie Glezer Publisher: Artisan Editor: Ann Bramson Price $35.00
Category: Cooking from a Professional Point of View John Ash Cooking One on One: Private Lessons in Simple, Contemporary Food from a Master Teacher Authors: John Ash and Amy Mintzer Publisher: Clarkson Potter Publishers Editor: Pam Krauss Price: $37.50
Category: Entertaining and Special Occasions Serena, Food & Stories Author: Serena Bass Publisher: Stewart, Tabori & Chang Editors: Sandy Gilbert, Leslie Stoker Price: $32.50
Category: Focus on Health The New Mayo Clinic Cookbook Authors: Foreword: Donald Hensrud, M.D., Jennifer Nelson, R.D. Recipes: Maureen Callahan, R.D & Cheryl Forberg, R.D. Publisher: Oxmoor House Editor: Christopher Frye Price: $34.95
Category: Food of the Americas Foods of the Americas Cookbook: Native Recipes and Traditions Authors: Fernando and Marlene Divina Publisher: Ten Speed Press Editor: Holly Taines White Price: $39.95
Category: General Weir Cooking in the City Author: Joanne Weir Publisher: Simon & Schuster Editor: Sydny Miner Price: $35.00
Category: International Provence Cookbook Author: Patricia Wells Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Editor: Susan Friedland Price: $29.95
Category: Photography Bouchon Photographer: Deborah Jones Publisher: Artisan Editors: Ann Bramson, Deborah Weiss Geline Price: $50.00
Category: Reference On Food and Cooking Author: Harold McGee Publisher: Scribner Editors: Beth Wareham, Rica Allannic Price: $35.00
Category: Single Subject All About Braising Author: Molly Stevens Publisher: W.W. Norton & Company Editor: Maria Guarnaschelli Price: $35.00
Category: Vegetarian Olive Trees and Honey: A Treasury of Vegetarian Recipes from Jewish Communities Around the World Author: Gil Marks Publisher: John Wiley & Sons Editor: Linda Ingroia Price: $29.95
Category: Wine and Spirits Scotch Whisky Author: Charles MacLean Publisher: Cassell Illustrated Editor: Jonathan Lewis Price:$39.95
Category: Writing on Food Last Chance to Eat Author: Gina Mallet Publisher: W.W. Norton & Company Editor: Maria Guarnaschelli Price: $25.95
WINNERS 2005 James Beard Foundation Restaurant and Chef Awards
CATEGORY: WATERFORD WEDGWOOD OUTSTANDING RESTAURATEUR AWARD A working restaurateur, actively involved in multiple restaurants in The United States, who has set uniformly high national standards as a creative force in the kitchen and/or in restaurant operations. Must have been in the restaurant business for at least ten years
Danny Meyer Union Square Hospitality Group 24 Union Square East New York, NY 10003 212-228-3585
CATEGORY: ALL-CLAD COOKWARE OUTSTANDING CHEF AWARD The working chef in America whose career has set national industry standards and who has served as an inspiration to other food professionals. Must have been a working chef for the past five years Mario Batali Babbo 110 Waverly Place New York, NY 10011 212-777-0303
CATEGORY: S.PELLEGRINO OUTSTANDING RESTAURANT AWARD The restaurant in the U.S. that serves as a national standard bearer of consistency of quality and excellence in food, atmosphere and service. Restaurant must have been in operation for at least ten years. Galatoire’s Owners: Galatoire Family Chef: Ross Eirich 209 Bourbon Street New Orleans, LA 70130 504-525-2021
CATEGORY: ILLY BEST NEW RESTAURANT A restaurant opened in 2004 that already displays excellence in food, beverage and service, and is likely to make a significant impact in years to come.
Per Se Chef/Owner: Thomas Keller 10 Columbus Circle New York, NY 10019 212-823-9335
CATEGORY: GALLO OF SONOMA RISING STAR CHEF OF THE YEAR A chef, age 30 or younger, who displays an impressive talent, and who is likely to make a significant industry impact in years to come. Christopher Lee Striped Bass 1500 Walnut Street Philadelphia, PA 19102 215-732-4444
CATEGORY: ALL-CLAD BAKEWARE OUTSTANDING PASTRY CHEF AWARD A chef or baker who prepares desserts, pastries or breads, who serves as a national standard bearer of excellence. Must have been a pastry chef or baker for the past five years.
Karen DeMasco Craft 43 East 19th Street New York, NY 10003 212-780-0880
CATEGORY: WATERFORD OUTSTANDING WINE SERVICE AWARD A restaurant that displays and encourages excellence in wine service through a well-presented wine list, knowledgeable staff and efforts to educate customers about wine. Restaurant must have been in operation at least five years.
Veritas Wine Director: Tim Kopec 43 East 20 th Street New York, NY 10003 212-353-3700
CATEGORY: ECOLAB OUTSTANDING WINE AND SPIRITS PROFESSIONAL AWARD A winemaker, brewer or spirits professional who has made a significant national impact in the wine and spirits industry. Must have been in profession at least five years.
Joseph Bastianich Italian Wine Merchants 108 East 16 th Street New York, NY 10003 212-473-2323
CATEGORY: SMITHFIELD FOODS OUTSTANDING SERVICE AWARD A restaurant that demonstrates high standards of hospitality and service. Must have been in operation for the past five years.
Spago Beverly Hills Owners: Wolfgang Puck/Barbara Lazaroff 176 N. Cañon Drive Beverly Hills, CA 90210 310-385-0880
AMERICAN EXPRESS BEST CHEFS IN AMERICA
Chefs who have set new or consistent standards of excellence in their respective regions. Chefs may be from any kind of dining establishment and must have been a working chef for the last five years. The three most recent years must have been spent in the region where chef is presently working.
CATEGORY: AMERICAN EXPRESS BEST CHEF: CALIFORNIA Lee Hefter Spago Beverly Hills 176 N. Cañon Drive Beverly Hills, CA 90210 310-385-0880
CATEGORY: AMERICAN EXPRESS BEST CHEF: MID-ATLANTIC Marc Vetri Vetri 1312 Spruce Street Philadelphia, PA 19107 215-732-3478
CATEGORY: AMERICAN EXPRESS BEST CHEF: MIDWEST Tony Mantuano Spiaggia 980 N. Michigan Avenue Chicago, IL 60611 312-280-2750
CATEGORY: AMERICAN EXPRESS BEST CHEF: NEW YORK CITY Andrew Carmellini Café Boulud 20 East 76 th Street New York, NY 10021 212-772-2600
CATEGORY: AMERICAN EXPRESS BEST CHEF: NORTHEAST Ana Sortun Oleana 134 Hampshire Street Cambridge, MA 02139 617-661-0505
CATEGORY: AMERICAN EXPRESS BEST CHEF: NORTHWEST/HAWAII Vitaly Paley Paley’s Place Bistro & Bar 1204 NW 21 st Avenue Portland, OR 97209 503-243-2403
CATEGORY: AMERICAN EXPRESS BEST CHEF: SOUTHEAST Joël Antunes Joël The Forum 3290 Northside Pkwy. Atlanta, GA 30327 404-233-3500
CATEGORY: AMERICAN EXPRESS BEST CHEF: SOUTHWEST Mark Kiffin The Compound 653 Canyon Road Santa Fe, NM 87501 505-982-4353
CATEGORY: SOUTHERN WINE & SPIRITS OF NY AMERICA’S CLASSICS
Yuca’s Owners: Socorra Herrera & Dora Herrera 2056 Hillhurst Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90027 323-662-1214
Charlie’s Sandwich Shoppe Owners: The Manjourides Family 429 Columbus Avenue Boston, MA 02116 617-536-7669
Willie Mae’s Scotch House Owner: Willie Mae Seaton 2401 St. Anne St. New Orleans, LA 70119 504-822-9503
El Chorro Lodge Owners: Joe & Evie Miller 5550 East Lincoln Drive Paradise Valley, AZ 85253 480-948-5170
CATEGORY: WILLIAMS-SONOMA HUMANITARIAN OF THE YEAR
Judy Wicks President, the White Dog Cafe Foundation Proprietor, White Dog Cafe 3420 Sansom Street Philadelphia, PA 19104 215-386-9224
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