CHICAGO (CBS) — The James Beard Awards – widely considered the Oscars of the culinary and hospitality world – were held Monday night in Chicago.
It was a who’s who of the restaurant industry on the red carpet for the awards ceremony, held at the Civic Opera House. Twenty N. Wacker Dr. Chefs from great restaurants across the country came to Chicago to honor the very best.
And Chicago isn’t often the scene of luxury red carpet events.
“We sometimes get overlooked,” says Jenner Tomaska, executive chef at Esmé, 2200 N. Clark St., and a James Beard Award nominee, “for being part of the Chicago community and, you know , to provide the support and to draw attention to parties here and to invite them – it, I think, has a real impact.”
A well-known Chicago chef – Rick Bayless of Frontera Grill, Topolonampo and Xoco and host of the PBS show “Mexico: One Plate at a Time” – was more than happy that the awards ceremony could happen on time.
“Over there There is no place in this entire country that is as welcoming as Chicago,” Bayless said.
Jason Hammell knows hospitality well. His restaurant, Lula Café at 2537 N. Kedzie Blvd. in Logan Square, won the James Beard Award for Outstanding Hospitality on Monday night.
“Here in Chicago, we are a tight-knit community. We support each other,” Hammell said before the awards were announced. “It means a lot to celebrate the culinary community nationwide here in our city.”
More than 100 chefs have been nominated in 22 categories. Esmé’s Tomaska and Sujan Sarkar of Indischene, 217 W. Huron St., were each nominated for best chef.
“It’s amazing,” Sarkar said. “I’m already in the final. It’s a kind of victory, whether we get it or not. It’s an absolute pleasure to be here.”
The nomination for outstanding pastry chef or baker brought a mix of emotions for Anna Posey of Elske, 1350 W. Randolph St.
“Good, nervous, excited, all the feels,” Posey said. “It’s everything. This is such a huge prize.”
Lula Café was the only restaurant in Chicago to win a James Beard Award this year. Michael Rafidi of Albi in Washington, DC, won for Outstanding Chef; Long track in Portland, Oregon for excellent restaurant; Erika and Kelly Whitaker of Id Est Hospitality Group in Boulder, Colorado, for outstanding restaurateurs; and Dakar NOLA in New Orleans for best new restaurant.
For Best Chef of the Great Lakes Region – which for the James Beard Award also includes Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio – the winner was Hajime Sato of Sozai in Clawson, Michigan.
Charlie de Mar
