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Chicago Hosts The Super Bowl Of Food Award Ceremonies

(CBS/AP) -- It's like Oscar night for foodies: The James Beard Awards honor the best and brightest culinary stars.

And for the first time, they're rolling out their red carpet here in Chicago, CBS 2's Roseanne Tellez reports.

The food world sings the praises of its most talented chefs. It's glamorous, star-studded and just plain fun.

Beard Awards Grace Chicago

"We get to have every major chefs, ever great restaurateur coming to town and seeing what we're really great at," R.J. Melman of Lettuce Entertain You says during a pre-award event.

It's a side of these superstar chefs we don't often see -- away from the kitchen, snapping selfies and sharing laughs.

Ming Tsai says it's just fun to be together.

"Honestly, to gather all of us together in one city does not happen often," the celebrity chef says.

Heading home with one of the awards, as Chef Joho of Chicago's Everest has done many times, is a true honor. Another Chef of the year, Jose Andres, says it's an honor that belongs to the team.

"I think that's the most humbling and honoring thing about the award is that it's voted on by your peers," Tsai says.

NATIONAL RESTAURANT AND CHEF AWARDS
-- Best New Restaurant
Batard in New York City
-- Outstanding Baker
Jim Lahey of Sullivan Street Bakery in New York City
-- Outstanding Bar Program
The Violet Hour in Chicago
-- Outstanding Chef
Michael Anthony of Gramercy Tavern in New York City
-- Outstanding Pastry Chef
Christina Tosi of Momofuku Milk Bar in New York City
-- Outstanding Restaurant
Blue Hill at Stone Barns in Pocantico Hills, New York
-- Outstanding Restaurateur
Donnie Madia of One Off Hospitality Group in Chicago
-- Outstanding Service
The Barn at Blackberry Farm in Walland, Tennessee
-- Outstanding Wine Program
A16 in San Francisco
-- Outstanding Wine, Beer or Spirits Professional
Rajat Parr of Mina Group in San Francisco
-- Rising Star Chef of the Year
Jessica Largey of Manresa in Los Gatos, California
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RESTAURANT DESIGN AWARDS
-- 75 Seats and Under
Design Firm: Bureau of Architecture and Design
Designers: Tom Nahabedian and James Gorski
Project: Brindille, Chicago
-- 76 Seats and Over
Design Firm: SOMA
Designers: Michel Abboud
Project: Workshop Kitchen + Bar, Palm Springs, California
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REGIONAL CHEF AWARDS
-- Great Lakes (IL, IN, MI, OH)
Jonathon Sawyer of Greenhouse Tavern in Cleveland
-- Mid-Atlantic (D.C., DE, MD, NJ, PA, VA)
Spike Gjerde of Woodberry Kitchen in Baltimore
-- Midwest (IA, KS, MN, MO, ND, NE, SD, WI)
Gerard Craft of Niche in Clayton, Missouri
-- New York City (Five Boroughs)
Mark Ladner of Del Posto
-- Northeast (CT, MA, ME, NH, NY STATE, RI, VT)
Barry Maiden of Hungry Mother in Cambridge, Massachusetts
-- Northwest (AK, ID, MT, OR, WA, WY)
Blaine Wetzel of The Willows Inn on Lummi Island in Lummi Island, Washington
-- South (AL, AR, FL, LA, MS, PR)
Alon Shaya of Domenica in New Orleans
-- Southeast (GA, KY, NC, SC, TN, WV)
Jason Stanhope of FIG in Charleston, South Carolina
-- Southwest (AZ, CO, NM, OK, TX, UT)
Aaron Franklin of Franklin Barbecue in Austin
-- West (CA, HI, NV)
Stuart Brioza and Nicole Krasinski of State Bird Provisions in San Francisco
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America's Classics
-- Archie's Waeside in Le Mars, Iowa
Owner: Robert Rand
-- Beaumont Inn in Harrodsburg, Kentucky
Owners: Elizabeth and Dixon Dedman, Helen and Chuck Dedman
-- Guelaguetza in Los Angeles
Owners: The Lopez Family
-- Sally Bell's Kitchen in Richmond, Virginia
Owners: Martha Crowe Jones and Scott Jones
-- Sevilla Restaurant in New York City
Owners: Jose Lloves and Bienvenido Alvarez
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Who's Who of Food & Beverage in America
-- Allan Benton
Pork producer and purveyor in Madisonville, Tennessee
-- Dale DeGroff
Mixologist in New York City
-- Wylie Dufresne
Chef and restaurateur in New York City
-- Nathalie Dupree
Cookbook author and television personality from Charlestown, South Carolina
-- Maricel Presilla
Chef, restaurateur and cookbook author from Hoboken, New Jersey
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Humanitarian of the Year
Michel Nischan, CEO, president and cofounder of Wholesome Wave
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Lifetime Achievement Award
Richard Melman of Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises in Chicago

More information is available here.

(Copyright 2014 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS Radio and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2015 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

 

 

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