While six restaurants and chefs from Northern California were under consideration for this year’s James Beard Chef and Restaurant Awards, none took home the top awards in their categories, which were announced in a Chicago ceremony June 10.
However, the ceremony also offered a series of historic and memorable moments on a national scale, with Paul Smith of 1010 Bridge taking home the first award for West Virginia by winning in the Best Chef Southeast category. Bakers from Portland, Maine, took home both of the baking-related awards, with Atsuko Fujimoto of Norimoto Bakery receiving the award for Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker and ZU Bakery winning for Outstanding Bakery. Chefs in Portland, Oregon, won awards for both Best Chef in the Northwest and Pacific and Outstanding Restaurant. And New Orleans claimed major wins, taking home the prizes for Best New Restaurant and Outstanding Bar.
The ceremony also included a celebration of acclaimed food writer Ruth Reichl, who received the Lifetime Achievement Award, and highlighted a global spectrum of culinary traditions including Senegalese, Haitian, Palestinian, Mexican, Thai, Filipino and Peruvian cuisines served up in restaurants around the U.S.
The winners are:
- Emerging Chef: Masako Morishita, Perry’s, Washington, D.C.
- Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker: Atsuko Fujimoto, Norimoto Bakery, Portland, ME
- Outstanding Bakery: ZU Bakery, Portland, ME
- Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program: Lula Drake Wine Parlour, Columbia, SC
- Outstanding Bar: Jewel of the South, New Orleans, LA
- Humanitarian of the Year: The Lee Initiative
- Best Chef, New York State: Charlie Mitchell, Clover Hill, Brooklyn, NY
- Best Chef, Mid-Atlantic: Harley Peet, Bas Rouge, Easton, MD
- Best Chef, South: Valerie Chang, Maty’s, Miami, FL
- Best Chef, Northwest and Pacific: Gregory Gourdet, kann, Portland, OR
- Best Chef, Northeast: David Standridge, The Shipwright’s Daughter, Mystic, CT
- Best Chef, Midwest: Christina Nguyen, Hai Hai, Minneapolis, MN
- Best Chef, California: Lord Maynard Llera, Kuya Lord, Los Angeles, CA
- Best Chef, Mountain: Matt Vawter, Rootstalk, Breckenridge, CO
- Best Chef, Southwest: Rene Andrade, Bacanora, Phoenix, AZ
- Best Chef, Southeast: Paul Smith, 1010 Bridge, Charleston, WV
- Best Chef, Great Lakes: Hajime Sato, Sozai, Clawson, MI
- Best Chef, Texas: Ana Liz Pulido, Ana Liz Taqueria, Mission, TX
- Lifetime Achievement Award: Ruth Reichl
- Outstanding Hospitality: Lula Cafe, Chicago, IL
- Best New Restaurant: Dakar NOLA, New Orleans, LA
- Outstanding Restaurateur: Erika Whitaker and Kelly Whitaker, ID EST (The Wolf’s Tailor, BRUTØ, Basta, and others), Boulder, CO
- Outstanding Restaurant: Langbaan, Portland, OR
- Outstanding Chef: Michael Rafidi, Albi, Washington, D.C
The Northern California chefs and restaurants that were nominated are:
- For Best New Restaurant: Chez Noir, Carmel-by-the-Sea. This award is for a restaurant that opened between Oct. 1, 2022 and Sept. 30, 2023 that offers excellent cuisine, is likely to have a significant impact in the future and contributes to the community.
- Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program: The Morris, San Francisco. This award is for a restaurant that skillfully pairs wine and other drinks with its food and contributes to the community, with an eye toward hospitality, service, ethical sourcing and enhancing customers’ appreciation for the drinks.
- Outstanding Bar: Pacific Cocktail Haven, San Francisco. This award is for a bar offering wine, beer, cocktails, coffee or other drinks that excellently curates and prepares drinks, contributes to the community and offers outstanding atmosphere, hospitality and operations.
- Best Chef, California: Geoff Davis, Burdell, Oakland; Rogelio Garcia, Auro, Calistoga; and Buu “Billy” Ngo, Kru, Sacramento. This award is for chefs whose leadership and culinary skills set high standards, support a sustainable work culture in their regions and contribute the community.
Last year, the San Francisco Bay Area also came up short and went home with no medals, despite having three finalists. The region was shut out for the first time since 2016.
Source: www.mercurynews.com