Perhaps attempting to be topical when describing the James Beard Foundation Awards, today one of the local fooderati likened them to the “culinary Olympics.” Sorry, but that’s a gross understatement—they are all that and a bag of white truffles.
No slight to the Olympic games, but the JBF awards are the pinnacle of culinary sport—the Oscars, Emmys, the Tonys of the food world—where it really is “an honor just to be nominated.”
A record number of St. Louis chefs and restaurants received James Beard nominations today.
Five chefs were named semifinalists for "Best Chef: Midwest"—Gerard Craft of Niche Restaurant Group, Josh Galliano of The Libertine, Kevin Nashan of Sidney Street Café, Kevin Willmann of Farmhaus, and Ben Poremba of Elaia and Olio. This is Poremba’s first nomination.
The other four chefs have appeared on the lauded list before; Craft has been a semifinalist five times. One of his restaurants, the cocktail-leaning-but-the-food-is-great-too Taste, received a nomination for "Outstanding Bar Program" this year, its first.
The other semifinalist nom went to Rick Lewis, chef of Quincy Street Bistro, for "Rising Star Chef of the Year," an honor bestowed upon up-and-comers 30 years of age or younger.
The James Beard Foundation Awards were established in 1990 to honor superior national restaurants, chefs, food writers, and culinary professionals across several dozen categories. The finalists in each category will be notified March 18, and the awards ceremony takes place at a gala in NYC on May 5.
The entire list of JBF semifinalists for 2014 can be viewed here.
