The nominees for the 2008 James Beard Awards were just announced, and Chicago has pretty good representation this year. The Chicago chefs/restaurateurs nominated are:
- Rich Melman, that guy who started RJ Grunts, for Outstanding Restaurateur
- Grant Achatz, Alinea, for Outstanding Chef Award
- Mindy Segal, HotChocolate, for Outstanding Pastry Chef
- Brian Duncan/Bin 36 for Outstanding Wine Service
- Spiaggia for Outstanding Service
- Graham Elliot Bowles, formerly of Avenues, for Best Chef: Great Lakes
- Carrie Nahabedian, Naha, for Best Chef: Great Lakes
- Bruce Sherman, North Pond, for Best Chef: Great Lakes
- Tufano’s Vernon Park Tap, recipient of a James Beard Foundation "America’s Classics" Award
- Robert Louey Design, designers, for Outstanding Restaurant Graphics (Sepia)
We’re blatantly lacking nominations in the Best New Restaurant and Rising Star Chef (for chefs under 30) categories. Perhaps Sepia could have been a contender in the former? Discuss.
The TOC Blog is for both our writers and readers to talk about what's going on in Chicago. We hope you'll take the opportunity to comment on posts here, with the following caveats:
If you have any questions about this policy, please e-mail John Dugan, our Web Editor, at jdugan@timeoutchicago.com.