Summer Restaurant Roundup

Keen on sampling the creations of the country’s greatest chefs? Take a gander of this roundup of the winners of the James Beard Foundation Awards, which Time deemed "the Oscars of the food world." These annual awards honor chefs, food and beverage professionals, broadcast media, food journalists and authors and restaurant architects and designers. We’ve culled the list to give you the top chefs, where they’re located and what they offer. We’ve also put together a regional guide of best new chefs, so you can find one near you and enjoy some award-winning eats. —Denise Shoukas

Best New Restaurant:  

ABC Kitchen, New York City

Renowned chef/owner Jean-Georges Vongerichten presents an ever-changing menu of organic cuisine in a fresh space. From the décor to the food, this restaurant is sustainable, local and organic. The culinary team strives to source 70 percent of the menu from within 90 miles of the restaurant between May and October, and often exceeds expectations by sourcing up to 85 percent of the food locally.

Outstanding Chef Award:  

José Andrés: minibar by josé andrés, Washington, D.C.

A six-seat restaurant within the Café Atlantico restaurant, minibar offers an innovative tasting menu featuring dozens of Andrés and his culinary team's most imaginative creations. The food owes as much to art and science as it does to gastronomy, challenging diners to rethink food and its presentation.

Outstanding Pastry Chef Award:

Angela Pinkerton: Eleven Madison Park, New York City

One of the world’s best restaurants is home to pastry chef Angela Pinkerton, who collaborates closely with Chef Daniel Humm to create desserts that are sophisticated, seasonal and delicious, while perfectly complementing Chef Humm’s modern French cuisine.

Rising Star Chef of the
Year Award:

Gabriel Rucker,
Le Pigeon, Portland, OR 

Le Pigeon is a petite bistro serving adventurous French-inspired food along with a wide variety of wines in an intimate dining room in the heart of Portland. In addition to traditional seating, there’s a chef's counter with 10 seats that wrap around the open kitchen, where seats are available on a walk-in basis.

Check out foodspring's Q&A with Chef Rucker and try out some of his recipes for yourself.

BEST CHEFS IN AMERICA

Scroll down to find your home area—or a place you’re planning to visit—to discover the best new chefs of 2011.

Michael Solomonov, Zahav, Philadelphia, PA

Gabrielle Hamilton, Prune, New York

Andy Ricker, Pok Pok, Portland, OR

Michael Tusk: Quince, San Francisco

Tyson Cole, Uchi, Austin, TX

Great Lakes

States: IL, IN, MI, OH

Alex Young
Zingerman’s Roadhouse, Ann Arbor, MI

Mid-Atlantic

States: D.C., DE, MD, NJ, PA, VA

Michael Solomonov
Zahav, Philadelphia, PA

Midwest

States: IA, KS, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD, WI

Isaac Becker:
112 Eatery, Minneapolis, MN

New York City

Gabrielle Hamilton
Prune, New York, NY

Northeast

States: CT, MA, ME, NH, NY, RI, VT

Tony Maws
Craigie On Main, Cambridge, MA

Northwest

States: AK, ID, MT, OR, WA, WY

Andy Ricker
Pok Pok, Portland, OR

Pacific

States: CA, HI

Michael Tusk:
Quince, San Francisco

South

States: AL, AR, FL, LA, MS

Stephen Stryjewski
Cochon, New Orleans

Southeast

States: GA, KY, NC, SC, TN, WV

Andrea Reusing
Lantern, Chapel Hill, NC

Southwest

States: AZ, CO, NM, NV, OK, TX, UT

Saipin Chutima:
Lotus of Siam, Las Vegas

Tyson Cole:
Uchi, Austin, TX
 
 

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