James Beard Foundation honors a(MUSE.) and Dogfish Head
If you follow any sort of food/restaurant news, you’ve probably noticed that some chefs’ (and other food industry professionals’) bios occasionally start out with “James Beard Award nominated…” so and so. So what’s that all about?
Established in 1990, the James Beard Foundation honors the memory of gourmand, author and educator James Beard. The organization is known for its awards that recognize culinary professionals for excellence and achievement in their respective fields. The criteria emphasize the foundation’s mission to celebrate, nurture and honor America's diverse culinary heritage through programs that educate and inspire. The James Beard Awards are known as the Oscars of the food world and cover all aspects of the industry: chefs and restaurateurs, cookbook authors and food journalists, restaurant designers, and brewery/distillery professionals, to name a few. In short, the James Beard Awards are the highest honor that can be bestowed upon food and beverage professionals in America.
The late restaurateur, chef and entrepreneur Matt Haley won the James Beard 2014 Humanitarian of the Year Award. He and his small army of Cape Region toques, made - and are still making - an impression on the foundation. The award not only singled him out for his efforts to improve lives around the world, but also helped to secure our culinary destination’s position on the map. Over the last several years, other local notables have earned the nod of the foundation through their inclusion in the coveted semifinals (winnowed down to just a few candidates from lists that often included several hundred). In 2014, Delaware born-and-raised Hari Cameron was nominated for the Best Rising Star Chef category. The award honors 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. Also in 2014, our very own Sam Calagione made it into the semifinals in the Outstanding Wine, Beer or Spirits Professional category. Though we didn’t see any winners that year other than Matt Haley, the James Beard Foundation was not quite finished with our little beach town. In 2015, Hari Cameron’s name appeared yet again on the list of nominees for Best Chef Mid-Atlantic, and, for the second year in a row, Sam Calagione was honored to join the handful of semifinalists for his category.
Third time’s a charm for Hari Cameron! Just a couple of weeks ago, Hari received the coveted nod as a semifinalist vying for Best Chef Mid-Atlantic. And Dogfish Head was again honored with a semifinalist position for the affable Sam Calagione. Could our two local stars be James Beard winners this year?
A bit of background might help: Each year, the James Beard Foundation holds an online, mid-October open call for entries. In 2016, more than 20,000 entries were received. After the JBF Restaurant and Chef Committee reviews that list, it produces a nominating ballot that lists the semifinalists in each of the 21 restaurant and chef award categories that include Outstanding Chef, Outstanding Restaurant, Best Chef in 10 different U.S. regions, Outstanding Service, Outstanding Bar Program and Best New Restaurant.
The list of semifinalists is set before an independent volunteer panel of more than 600 judges, made up of leading regional restaurant critics, food and wine editors, culinary educators, and past James Beard Foundation Restaurant and Chef Award winners. Their votes ultimately determine the final five nominees in each category. The same judges then vote on these five nominees to select the winners.
The 2016 results are confidential until the presentation of winners on Monday, May 2, at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. So keep your fingers crossed! Though the multiple nominations are some of the highest honors this tiny beach town can earn, the holy grail of 2016 winner could be bestowed on one - or two - of the nicest guys to grace this business of eating. So stay tuned!
Bob Yesbek is a serial foodie and can be reached at byesbek@CapeGazette.com.
