Winners were announced last week at the annual 2012 James Beard Foundation Awards, the nation's most prestigious recognition program honoring professionals in the food and beverage industries.
During a ceremony hosted by chef and television personality Alton Brown at Lincoln Center's Avery Fisher Hall, awards in the Restaurant and Chef and the Design and Graphics categories were presented, as well as a number of special achievement awards including Who's Who of Food & Beverage in America, America's Classics, Lifetime Achievement, and Humanitarian of the Year.
A complete list of all award winners can be found at the end of this release, as well as at jamesbeard.org.
Highlights from this year's list of winners include:
Outstanding Chef: Daniel Humm (Eleven Madison Park, NYC)
Outstanding Restaurant: Boulevard (San Francisco)
Rising Star Chef: Christina Tosi (Momofuku Milk Bar, NYC)
Best New Restaurant: Next (Chicago)
In addition, special achievement award honorees included:
Who's Who of Food & Beverage in America: Grant Achatz (Chef and Author, Chicago); Mark Bittman (Journalist and Author, NYC); Dana Cowin (Editor and Journalist, NYC); Emily Luchetti (Pastry Chef and Author, San Francisco); Marvin Shanken (Publisher, NYC)
America's Classics: The Fry Bread House (Owner: Cecelia Miller, Phoenix); Nora's Fish Creek Inn (Owners: Nora Tygum, Trace Tygum, and Kathryn Tygum Taylor, Wilson, WY); St. Elmo Steak House (Owners: Stephen Huse and Craig Huse, Indianapolis); Jones Bar-B-Q Diner (Owners: James and Betty Jones, Marianna, AR); Shady Glen (Owners: William and Annette Hoch, Manchester, CT)
Lifetime Achievement Award: Wolfgang Puck (Chef and Restaurateur, Los Angeles)
Humanitarian of the Year: Charlie Trotter (Chef and Restaurateur, Chicago)
Industry leaders from across the country attended the highly anticipated festivities, which celebrated this year's Awards theme of "25 Years of Food at its Best," in tribute to the Foundation's silver anniversary and mission that honors James Beard's legacy by celebrating, nurturing, and preserving America's diverse culinary heritage and future.
In recognition of James Beard's influence on our culinary world, the Foundation invited chefs who had the privilege of knowing James Beard personally, as well as those who have been influenced by his legacy, to prepare dishes inspired by recipes from his more than 20 cookbooks.
