Leading off today is this hiring video put together for Lettuce Entertain You property Hub 51 Restaurant and Lounge, an exaggerated parody of Tom Vu infomercials. (via) Fresh off his appearance on last night's episode of Top Chef Chicago, Rick Tramonto has a blog over at Restaurant & Institutions magazine website. There are only two posts right now, but Tramonto's an in-demand chef and businessman, so only expect him to update when he has......

Michael Ruhlman and Anthony Bourdain announced the nominees for their inaugural "Golden Clog" awards on Eater Tuesday. Among the nominees are Paul Kahan for the "Chef's Chef" award ("for the chef who continues to make the kind of food other chefs like, while flying largely under the national radar") and Hungry Mag's Michael Nagrant - that photo is of his son staring down a 23-ounce bone-in ribeye at Harry Caray's, btw - for the "Steingarten"......

The James L. Beard Award nominees were announced yesterday and as in years past, Chicago represented. And the Chicago-based nominees are: Outstanding Restaurateur: Richard Melman, Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises Outstanding Chef: Jean Joho, Everest and Paul Kahan, Blackbird Outstanding Restaurant: Frontera Grill and Spiaggia Rising Star Chef of the Year: Graham Elliot Bowles, Avenues Outstanding Pastry Chef: Mindy Segal, HotChocolate Outstanding Service: Tru Outstanding Wine Service: Bin 36, Wine Director Brian Duncan Best Chef, Great......

Greg Christian used to be a rock-star chef. Think Anthony Bourdain before he stopped doing the partying and started writing books and appearing on the Food Network. Christian cooked hard, partied hard and essentially lived every chef's dream; working at the now-closed Gordon’s restaurant under executive chef John Terczak and then ultimately starting his own catering company. Hungry Mag has a great profile of Christian up, in which his story of discovering the organic food......

It's that time of year again: the James Beard Foundation's nominees have been announced and, not surprisingly, Chicago represents. And it represents well. The James Beard is the most coveted prize for culinary professionals, and for those who are both nominated and those who eventually go home with the prize come May, this achievement will follow them for the rest of their dying days. For those not of All-Things-Food, being nominated for a James Beard......