"JamesBeardAwards" news and stories

Got a spare hundred bucks on hand, a delicious dream in your heart and a keyboard at your fingertips? Then hie thee to jamesbeard.org and download entry forms for the 2010 James Beard Foundation's Book, Journalism, Broadcast Media and Design Awards.

Veteran entrants of the Journalism Awards will note that there are a few alterations from previous ballots (full disclosure -- I'm the vice chair of the committee that oversees the Journalism Awards), namely that the Restaurant Review award has been redubbed the Craig Claiborne Distinguished Restaurant Review Award, the former Newspaper Feature Writing Without Recipes and With Recipes categories have been combined into single category, and there's no requirement for the Writing on Spirits, Wine, or Beer, Food-related Columns, or Reporting on Health, Environment and Nutrition entrants to have ever appeared in print. Online's just fine.

Why the changes? Funny thing - we cracked a window in the Beard House's Peter Kump Boardroom during our last meeting and noticed it was 2009 outside. Oops.

Restaurant devotees also may submit their favorite chefs and restaurant for inclusion in the James Beard Restaurant Awards via a handy online form at jamesbeard.starchefs.com.

[Via: jamesbeard.org]

He may be the David Chang of the West Coast. At 29 (two years younger than Sir David) Nate Appleman of A16 and SPQR is on the verge of opening an A16 offshoot in Tokyo, a new restaurant in San Francisco, has penned an award-winning cookbook and been showered with praise. Now, after three years on the nominee list, he is the owner of the Rising Star Chef James Beard Award. We caught up with Appleman yesterday afternoon to chat about his wayward childhood, why he lives in California, whole animals and his favorite kitchen utensil -- a bloody cleaver.

What did it feel like to finally win?
The third time is the charm. It was incredible. It was kind of all surreal.

How did it feel when you were passed over for the second time?
It was disappointing, but I thought, I got next year. (A Rising Star must be 30 or under.)

What's it like to be the only non-New Yorker to win a national award?
That's a huge, huge honor. It's not a secret that the awards are New York-dominated. To win from being outside of New York makes it that much sweeter.

Until this Monday, Babbo Pastry Chef Gina DePalma was the Kate Winslet of the culinary world, earning six James Beard Award nominations for the honor of Outstanding Pastry Chef but never taking the cake. The seventh time, though, proved to be the ... er ... icing. We caught up with DePalma this morning to chat about victory, pastry, her battle with ovarian cancer and her boss, the boisterous Mario Batali (aka Mr. Fanta Pants).

What did it feel like to the finally win a James Beard Award?
I tried not to break down into tears. I tried to keep myself together up there. After seven years, you try to emotionally turn yourself off. In past years I thought it was such a big deal to win, but it still felt good.

Is that why you were emotional on stage? That was part of it. It's also been a very tough year for me. I don't know if you know, I have been battling ovarian cancer. I was diagnosed four days after my sixth loss. I had a huge operation and went through chemo and lost all my hair. I am still in treatment. It was stage four. It was end of the line, but they got it all in surgery.

Hear why salted caramels should die and why DePalma is afraid to rock orange crocs after the jump.

At long last, the wait for the nation's biggest foodie honors is over. Slashfood spent nearly every waking second since Sunday night live-Twittering the James Beard Award winners @slashfood live from the scene.

A New York culinary favorite, David Chang of Momofuku Ko took home the best new restaurant award, while Drew Nieporent of the Myriad Restaurant Group was named outstanding restaurateur.

Dig in to the full restaurant, chef and cookbook winners after the jump along with red-carpet photos.

Whew! We're exhausted post Media Awards and Chefs Night Out Soiree and will be taking a brief nap before live-Twittering the results for Restaurants and Books on Monday evening as @slashfood. In the meantime, congrats to ...

Newspaper Feature Writing About Restaurants and/or Chefs

Katy McLaughlin
The Wall Street Journal
"Sushi Bullies"


Newspaper Feature Writing Without Recipes

Kristen Hinman
Riverfront Times
"The Pope of Pork"

More James Beard Media Award Winners after the jump.