"michael anthony" news and stories

Apologies to anyone dining in a marquee New York restaurant on Wednesday night -- we were hogging all your chefs and a restaurateur or 10 over at the Roseland Ballroom. And no, we won't apologize; it was all for a great cause.

Since 1988, the Share Our Strength organization has drawn together chefs, mixologists, volunteers and food fans in cities around the United States for Taste of the Nation events benefiting local food assistance organizations via funds generated by ticket sales, sponsorships and silent auctions. New York City's 2009 installment featured small-plate fare from more than 50 eateries and chefs, including newly minted James Beard Award winner Dan Barber's Blue Hill, Danny Meyer's entire armada of restaurants and the revitalized Oak Room as well as generously poured tipples from the likes of Audrey Saunders, Tony Abou-Ganim, Jim Meehan and many (many ... so, so, many ... ) more.

After the jump, read more about celeb spotting, volunteer opportunities and the best bite we had all night.

Life is (naturally) sweet for Gramercy Tavern Executive Chef Michael Anthony. Not only is he recently married, but his restaurant was bestowed the 2008 James Beard Award for Outstanding Restaurant, and he just returned from the Union Square farmer's market in NYC with fresh sugar snap peas for dinner. Does it get any better than this? Read on.

Congratulations on winning the James Beard Award for Outstanding Restaurant. How has life slash the restaurant changed since winning the award this year?

Hold on – I'm actually trying to get through the door here. I just finished shopping at the farmers market.

No worries. Take your time.

The restaurant has had an unbelievable sense of electricity since the Beard Awards. It was nice to see friends and familiar faces from around the country at the awards. They made us feel that there are a lot of people in the industry pulling for the restaurant. People have come to the restaurant to congratulate us in person. The support was felt by a very widespread audience in the industry and around the city.