The finalists for this year's James Beard Awards were announced a few moments ago and Next capped off an amazing first year with nods for Best New Restaurant and chef Dave Beran as Rising Star Chef, a new award category given to the best chef under the age of 30. more ›

Chicago, befitting its status as one of the world's culinary epicenters, was well-represented. (These are not the final nominees, but some of these names could wind up on the finalists list which will be announced in a few weeks.) more ›

The James Beard Foundation just announced their awards finalists at the top of the hour and Chicago's chefs and food cognoscenti have a couple of surprises among what is a fairly predictable list. more ›

Last night, the Girl and the Goat's Stephanie Izard joined an all-star team of Chicago chefs to host a "Friends of the James Beard Foundation" dinner. The Beard Foundation, American's foremost nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting fine American food, holds dinners around the country to support its operations, and the proceeds of last night's dinner will be used for culinary school scholarships. more ›

Here are your local nominees for the 2010 James Bears Awards. Winners will be announced May 2-3 in New York City. more ›

• James Beard Award semifinalists were announced this morning. [James Beard Foundation (PDF)]
• World famous cheese sculptor Sarah Kaufman will be making a scale model of the Niles skyline from two 150-pound cheddar wheels this weekend at Meijer, 9000 Golf Rd. [Drive-Thru]
• Words of wisdom from Art Smith, In Re: Scraps - "Ain't nothing wrong with a casserole, honey!" [Chicago Brunch Blog]

On Sunday, October 18, the chefs of Blackbird, avec and The Publican along with Pamela Fitzpatrick of Fox & Obel are hosting a five-course benefit dinner supporting James Beard Foundation. Chefs of the night will be Becky Broeske, Koren Grieveson, Brian Huston, Paul Kahan and Mike Sheerin. Pairings will feature Champagne Henriot, Napa Valley’s Blackbird Vineyards, Goose Island Beer Company and Three Floyds Brewing Co. If you must only choose one big dining event of the fall, this might be it. Hors d’oeuvres include: oysters, smoked black cod, and crispy pork rinds paired with champagne. The five course menu includes: more ›

Shin Thompson has taken Bonsoirée from an underground dinner club to one of the better BYOB joints in town with his fusion of French and Japanese cuisines and detailed-yet-affordable tasting menus. more ›

The James Beard Foundation announced their 2009 award nominees today. Among the local chefs, restaurants and restaurateurs that made the final cut: more ›

The James Beard foundation announced their annual awards semifinalists this morning. Jean Joho and Paul Kahan are nominated for Outstanding Chef, with Joho's Everest getting a nod for Outstanding Restaurant. L2O is up for Best New Restaurant, while a staggering 11 area chefs are bidding for the title of Best Chef: Great Lakes. Included on that list are avec's Koren Grieveson, Avenue's Curtis Duffy, Suzy Crofton, and Paul Virant of Vie. Full list (in PDF format) is available here. more ›

After voting in the Chicago Way, the 2008 James Beard Award nominees were announced today (via). The list is filled with some familiar names (Grant Achatz for outstanding chef, Rich Melman for Outstanding restaurateur) and encompasses a good cross section of the city's dining scene. For the coveted "Best Chef: Great Lakes" category, the inclusion of North Pond's Bruce Sherman, Naha's Carrie Nahabedian and Graham Elliot Bowles gives Chicago a 3-in-5 chance that the winning chef will be located here. The one section where Chicago's restaurants were notably absent was in the "best new restaurant" category, where Sepia was snubbed. more ›

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... more ›

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... more ›

Chicagoist's heart swells with pride and admiration this morning as the winners of the 2005 James Beard Foundation Awards were handed out last night, and taking home this year's prize for Best Chef in the Midwest is Chicago's Tony Mantuano, executive chef of Spiaggia. It's about time Mantuano brings this coveted award to Spiaggia's One Mag Mile home. This year's nomination was his fourth, and he's long been one of the most acclaimed and... more ›

After 3 years as Executive Chef at Trio, the 5-star restaurant in Evanston, Grant Achatz is leaving to open his own restaurant. Grant, who has worked in the kitchens of many of the country's top restaurants such as French Laundry and Charlie Trotter's, was the recipient last year of the esteemed James Beard Foundation Rising Star Chef Award. The Chicago location of the new restaurant hasn't been set yet but the name has. Alinea, which Achatz says is an ancient typographical symbol stating the beginning of a new train of thought, is hoped to be open by the beginning of the year. Achatz says the food there will be an "evolution" of the culinary style he developed at Trio. more ›