A month ago we had the so-called "long list" of semi-finalists for this year's "Oscars of the food world," a.k.a. The James Beard Foundation Awards. And today we bring you the short list of actual nominees, in which San Francisco's been blackballed from two of the big national categories for the first time in quite a while.
The three-month-old State Bird sister restaurant The Progress made it onto the short list in the Best New Restaurant category, beating out the other listed semi-finalist, Lazy Bear although however great The Progress may be, it stands little chance of winning given that chefs Stuart Brioza and Nicole Krasinski won in this category just two years ago for State Bird Provisions, and the politics of these awards work similarly to the Oscars that way. (Eater National has a pretty fun set of charts showing which cities have taken home which awards over the years, and New York trumps all given that a) the event traditionally takes place there, though this year it's going to Chicago, and b) much of the voting block of over 500 are previous winners, many of whom came from New York.)
And San Francisco, having been in the spotlight in some of the major categories for a couple of years running, is missing completely from the national categories of Outstanding Restaurant and Outstanding Chef, but SF took the Outstanding Restaurant category twice in the last three years, for Boulevard in 2012, and for Slanted Door in 2014. Again, politics.
SF beats out LA 3 to 2 in the Best Chef: West category (which Coi chef Daniel Patterson took home last year), with nominees Corey Lee (Benu), Matthew Accarrino (SPQR), and another nomination for Stuart Brioza and Nicole Krasinski, who graduated to this category last year.
Also somewhat unique to these awards is that once you have been nominated in a given category, you tend to be re-nominated every year until you win see the example of Boulevard, which was nominated seven years in a row before taking home the Outstanding Restaurant prize, and Daniel Patterson, who was nominated six times before winning.
And also of note, Manresa chef de cuisine Jessica Largey is nominated in the Rising Star category, Quince gets another nomination for Outstanding Service, and the bakers behind Craftsman & Wolves (William Werner) and b. patisserie (Belinda Leong and Michael Suas) are nominated in the Outstanding Baker category.
Inside Scoop has the complete list of nominees, including those in the broadcast, cookbook, and journalism categories. Below are the chef and restaurant nominees. Winners will be announced on May 4, 2015 at a ceremony in Chicago.
The 2015 Restaurant and Chef Award Nominees
Best New Restaurant
Bâtard, NYC
Central Provisions, Portland, ME
Cosme, NYC
Parachute, Chicago
Petit Trois, Los Angeles
The Progress, San Francisco
Spoon and Stable, Minneapolis
Best Chef: West
Matthew Accarrino, SPQR, San Francisco
Stuart Brioza and Nicole Krasinski, State Bird Provisions, San Francisco
Michael Cimarusti, Providence, Los Angeles
Corey Lee, Benu, San Francisco
Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo, Animal, Los Angeles
Outstanding Chef
Michael Anthony, Gramercy Tavern, NYC
Sean Brock, Husk, Charleston, SC
Suzanne Goin, Lucques, Los Angeles
Donald Link, Herbsaint, New Orleans
Marc Vetri, Vetri, Philadelphia
Outstanding Restaurant
Blue Hill at Stone Barns, Pocantico Hills, NY
Highlands Bar and Grill, Birmingham, AL
Momofuku Noodle Bar, NYC
Per Se, NYC
The Spotted Pig, NYC
Outstanding Baker
Joanne Chang, Flour Bakery + Cafe, Boston
Mark Furstenberg, Bread Furst, Washington, D.C.
Jim Lahey, Sullivan Street Bakery, NYC
Belinda Leong and Michel Suas, B. Patisserie, San Francisco
William Werner, Craftsman and Wolves, San Francisco
Outstanding Bar Program
Arnaud’s French 75 Bar, New Orleans
Bar Agricole, San Francisco
Maison Premiere, Brooklyn, NY
Trick Dog, San Francisco
The Violet Hour, Chicago
Outstanding Pastry Chef
Dana Cree, Blackbird, Chicago
Maura Kilpatrick, Oleana, Cambridge, MA
Dahlia Narvaez, Osteria Mozza, Los Angeles
Ghaya Oliveira, Daniel, NYC
Christina Tosi, Momofuku, NYC
Outstanding Restaurateur
JoAnn Clevenger, Upperline, New Orleans
Donnie Madia, One Off Hospitality Group, Chicago (Blackbird, Avec, The Publican, and others)
Michael Mina, Mina Group, San Francisco (Michael Mina, RN74, Bourbon Steak, and others)
Cindy Pawlcyn, Napa, CA (Mustards Grill, Cindy’s Back Street Kitchen, and Cindy’s Waterfront at the Monterey Bay Aquarium)
Stephen Starr, Starr Restaurants, Philadelphia (The Dandelion, Talula’s Garden, Serpico, and others)
Outstanding Service
The Barn at Blackberry Farm, Walland, TN
Marea, NYC
Quince, San Francisco
Restaurant August, New Orleans
Topolobampo, Chicago
Outstanding Wine Program
A16, San Francisco
Bern’s Steak House, Tampa, FL
FIG, Charleston, SC
McCrady’s, Charleston, SC
Spago, Beverly Hills, CA
Outstanding Wine, Beer, or Spirits Professional
Sam Calagione, Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, Milton, DE
Ron Cooper, Del Maguey Single Village Mezcal, Ranchos de Taos, NM
Ted Lemon, Littorai Wines, Sebastopol, CA
Rajat Parr, Mina Group, San Francisco
Harlen Wheatley, Buffalo Trace Distillery, Frankfort, KY
Rising Star Chef of the Year
Tanya Baker, Boarding House, Chicago
Alex Bois, High Street on Market, Philadelphia
Erik Bruner-Yang, Toki Underground, Washington, D.C.
Jessica Largey, Manresa, Los Gatos, CA
Cara Stadler, Tao Yuan, Brunswick, ME
Ari Taymor, Alma, Los Angeles
Best Chef: Great Lakes
Curtis Duffy, Grace, Chicago
Jonathon Sawyer, The Greenhouse Tavern, Cleveland
Paul Virant, Vie, Western Springs, IL
Erling Wu-Bower, Nico Osteria, Chicago
Andrew Zimmerman, Sepia, Chicago
Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic
Joe Cicala, Le Virtù, Philadelphia
Spike Gjerde, Woodberry Kitchen, Baltimore
Rich Landau, Vedge, Philadelphia
Greg Vernick, Vernick Food & Drink, Philadelphia
Cindy Wolf, Charleston, Baltimore
Best Chef: Midwest
Paul Berglund, The Bachelor Farmer, Minneapolis
Justin Carlisle, Ardent, Milwaukee
Gerard Craft, Niche, Clayton, MO
Michelle Gayer, Salty Tart, Minneapolis
Lenny Russo, Heartland Restaurant & Farm Direct Market, St. Paul, MN
Best Chef: Northeast
Karen Akunowicz, Myers + Chang, Boston
Barry Maiden, Hungry Mother, Cambridge, MA
Masa Miyake, Miyake, Portland, ME
Cassie Piuma, Sarma, Somerville, MA
Andrew Taylor and Mike Wiley, Eventide Oyster Co., Portland, ME
Best Chef: Northwest
Greg Denton and Gabrielle Quiñónez Denton, Ox, Portland, OR
Renee Erickson, The Whale Wins, Seattle
Blaine Wetzel, The Willows Inn on Lummi Island, Lummi Island, WA
Justin Woodward, Castagna, Portland, OR
Rachel Yang and Seif Chirchi, Joule, Seattle
Best Chef: NYC
Marco Canora, Hearth
Mario Carbone and Rich Torrisi, Carbone
Mark Ladner, Del Posto
Anita Lo, Annisa
Ignacio Mattos, Estela
Jonathan Waxman, Barbuto
Best Chef: South
Vishwesh Bhatt, Snackbar, Oxford, MS
Justin Devillier, La Petite Grocery, New Orleans
Jose Enrique, Jose Enrique, San Juan, PR
Slade Rushing, Brennan’s, New Orleans
Alon Shaya, Domenica, New Orleans
Best Chef: Southeast
John Fleer, Rhubarb, Asheville, NC
Edward Lee, 610 Magnolia, Louisville, KY
Steven Satterfield, Miller Union, Atlanta
Jason Stanhope, FIG, Charleston, SC
Andrew Ticer and Michael Hudman, Andrew Michael Italian Kitchen, Memphis
Tandy Wilson, City House, Nashville
Best Chef: Southwest
Kevin Binkley, Binkley’s, Cave Creek, AZ
Aaron Franklin, Franklin Barbecue, Austin
Bryce Gilmore, Barley Swine, Austin
Hugo Ortega, Hugo’s, Houston
Martín Rios, Restaurant Martín, Santa Fe
Justin Yu, Oxheart, Houston
Previously: Daniel Patterson, Slanted Door Win Big At James Beard Awards
