Winners were revealed Monday, May 4, 2015, at the 2015 James Beard Foundation Awards presented by Lexus. During a ceremony, hosted by James Beard Award–winning TV host, author, and chef Alton Brown, at Lyric Opera of Chicago, awards in the Restaurant and Chef and Outstanding Restaurant Design categories were presented, as well as a number of special achievement awards, including the Who’s Who of Food & Beverage in America, Lifetime Achievement and Humanitarian of the Year. Winners of the Foundation’s annual Book, Broadcast, & Journalism Awards were presented on April 24, 2015, at a ceremony and dinner at Pier 60 at Chelsea Piers in New York City, hosted by Carla Hall, co-host of ABC’s The Chew. A complete list of award winners announced on May 4 can be found at the end of this release. Results from both events can be found at jamesbeard.org/awards.
Highlights from this year’s list of winners include:
Outstanding Chef: Michael Anthony, Gramercy Tavern, NYC
Outstanding Restaurant: Blue Hill at Stone Barns, Pocantico Hills, NY
Outstanding Pastry Chef: Christina Tosi, Momofuku, NYC
Outstanding Restaurateur: Donnie Madia, One Off Hospitality Group (Blackbird, Avec, The Publican, and others), Chicago, IL
Best New Restaurant: Bâtard, NYC
Rising Star Chef: Jessica Largey, Manresa, Los Gatos, CA
Industry leaders from across the country attended the highly anticipated festivities in honor of the silver anniversary of the James Beard Foundation Awards. The audience was treated to musical performances by Alton Brown, accompanied by members of the Edible Inevitable Trio, as well as by acclaimed blues artist, Shemekia Copeland.
The gala reception chefs, consisting of former James Beard Foundation Award recipients, created dishes to celebrate the 25th anniversary and highlight the array of culinary styles and cuisines across America. Gala Co-Chair Chefs Grant Achatz, Rick Bayless, and Paul Kahan assisted with the oversight and direction of the reception, leading the exemplary group of gala chefs as they shared their cuisine with nearly 2,000 guests.
Established in 1990, the James Beard Awards recognize culinary professionals for excellence and achievement in their fields and further the Foundation’s mission to celebrate, nurture, and honor America’s diverse culinary heritage through programs that educate and inspire. Each award category has an individual committee made up of industry professionals who volunteer their time to oversee the policies, procedures, and selection of judges for their respective Awards program. All JBF Award winners receive a certificate and a medallion engraved with the James Beard Foundation Awards insignia. There are no cash prizes.
The 2015 James Beard Foundation Awards are presented by Lexus; in association with HMSHost, the Illinois Office of Tourism and Mariano’s; and the following partners: Premier Sponsors: All-Clad Metalcrafters, American Airlines, BACARDÍ® GRAN RESERVA, Lenox Tableware and Gifts, True Refrigeration®; Supporting Sponsors: Acqua Panna® Natural Spring Water, Brand USA, Breville, Fine European Wines from Bulgaria, Goose Island Beer Company, Lavazza, S.Pellegrino® Sparkling Natural Mineral Water, Skuna Bay Salmon, Valrhona; Gala Reception Sponsors: Braveheart Black Angus Beef from PERFORMANCE Foodservice, Celebrity Cruises®, Ecolab, Groupon, Tanqueray No. TEN®, Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts; with additional support from: Chefwear, VerTerra Dinnerware, and Wisconsin Cheese. On-site social media activations provided by Twitter. The James Beard Foundation also gratefully acknowledges the generous support of the Chicago Department of Aviation, Choose Chicago, and the Illinois Restaurant Association.
2015 James Beard Foundation Award Winners
2015 James Beard Foundation Outstanding Restaurant Design Awards
75 Seats and Under
(For the best restaurant design or renovation in North America since January 1, 2012)
Design Firm: Bureau of Architecture and Design
Designers: Tom Nahabedian and James Gorski
Project: Brindille, Chicago
76 Seats and Over
(For the best restaurant design or renovation in North America since January 1, 2012)
Design Firm: SOMA
Designers: Michel Abboud
Project: Workshop Kitchen + Bar, Palm Springs, CA
2015 James Beard Foundation Restaurant and Chef Awards
Best New Restaurant
Presented by True Refrigeration®
Bâtard
NYC
Outstanding Baker
Jim Lahey
Sullivan Street Bakery
NYC
Outstanding Bar Program
Presented by Tanqueray No. TEN®
The Violet Hour
Chicago
Outstanding Chef
Presented by All-Clad Metalcrafters
A working chef in America whose career has set national industry standards and who has served as an inspiration to other food professionals. Candidates must have been working as chefs for at least the past 5 years.
Michael Anthony
Gramercy Tavern
NYC
Outstanding Pastry Chef
A chef or baker who prepares desserts, pastries, or breads and who serves as a standard-bearer for excellence. Candidates must have been pastry chefs or bakers for at least the past 5 years.
Christina Tosi
Momofuku
NYC
Outstanding Restaurant
Presented by Acqua Panna® Natural Spring Water
A restaurant in the United States that serves as a national standard-bearer for consistent quality and excellence in food, atmosphere, and service. Candidates must have been in operation for at least 10 or more consecutive years.
Blue Hill at Stone Barns
Pocantico Hills, NY
Outstanding Restaurateur
A working restaurateur who sets high national standards in restaurant operations and entrepreneurship. Candidates must have been in the restaurant business for at least 10 years. Candidates must not have been nominated for a James Beard Foundation chef award in the past 10 years.
Donnie Madia
One Off Hospitality Group (Blackbird, Avec, The Publican, and others)
Chicago
Outstanding Service
Presented by Goose Island Beer Company
A restaurant that demonstrates high standards of hospitality and service. Candidates must have been in operation for at least the past 5 years.
The Barn at Blackberry Farm
Walland, TN
Outstanding Wine Program
A16
San Francisco
Outstanding Wine, Beer, or Spirits Professional
Presented by BACARDÍ® GRAN RESERVA
Rajat Parr
Mina Group
San Francisco
Rising Star Chef of the Year
Presented by S.Pellegrino® Sparkling Natural Mineral Water
A chef age 30 or younger who displays an impressive talent and who is likely to have a significant impact on the industry in years to come.
Jessica Largey
Manresa
Los Gatos, CA
Best Chefs in America
Chefs who have set new or consistent standards of excellence in their respective regions. Each candidate may be employed by any kind of dining establishment and must have been a working chef for at least the past 5 years. The 3 most recent years must have been spent in the region where the chef is presently working.
Best Chef: Great Lakes (IL, IN, MI, OH)
Jonathon Sawyer
Greenhouse Tavern
Cleveland
Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic (D.C., DE, MD, NJ, PA, VA)
Spike Gjerde
Woodberry Kitchen
Baltimore
Best Chef: Midwest (IA, KS, MN, MO, ND, NE, SD, WI)
Gerard Craft
Niche
Clayton, MO
Best Chef: New York City (Five Boroughs)
Mark Ladner
Del Posto
Best Chef: Northeast (CT, MA, ME, NH, NY STATE, RI, VT)
Barry Maiden
Hungry Mother
Cambridge, MA
Best Chef: Northwest (AK, ID, MT, OR, WA, WY)
Blaine Wetzel
The Willows Inn on Lummi Island
Lummi Island, WA
Best Chef: South (AL, AR, FL, LA, MS, PR)
Alon Shaya
Domenica
New Orleans
Best Chef: Southeast (GA, KY, NC, SC, TN, WV)
Jason Stanhope
FIG
Charleston, SC
Best Chef: Southwest (AZ, CO, NM, OK, TX, UT)
Aaron Franklin
Franklin Barbecue
Austin
Best Chef: West (CA, HI, NV)
Stuart Brioza and Nicole Krasinski
State Bird Provisions
San Francisco
2015 James Beard Foundation America’s Classics
Archie’s Waeside
Le Mars, IA
Owner: Robert Rand
Beaumont Inn
Harrodsburg, KY
Owners: Elizabeth and Dixon Dedman, Helen and Chuck Dedman
Guelaguetza
Los Angeles
Owners: The Lopez Family
Sally Bell’s Kitchen
Richmond, VA
Owners: Martha Crowe Jones and Scott Jones
Sevilla Restaurant
NYC
Owners: Jose Lloves and Bienvenido Alvarez
2015 James Beard Foundation Who’s Who of Food & Beverage in America
Allan Benton
Pork Producer and Purveyor
Madisonville, TN
Dale DeGroff
Mixologist
NYC
Wylie Dufresne
Chef and Restaurateur
NYC
Nathalie Dupree
Cookbook Author and Television Personality
Charleston, SC
Maricel Presilla
Chef, Restaurateur, and Cookbook Author
Hoboken, NJ
2015 James Beard Foundation Humanitarian of the Year
Michel Nischan
CEO, President and Co-Founder of Wholesome Wave
Westport, CT
2015 James Beard Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award
Richard Melman
Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises
Chicago
