James Beard Foundation Awards

Every year, the James Beard Foundation puts together the year's most prestigious foodie fest awards.

From the website: Deemed “the Oscars of the food world,” by Time magazine, The James Beard Foundation Awards are the country’s most coveted honor for chefs; food and beverage professionals; broadcast media, journalists, and authors working on food; and restaurant architects and designers.

This year it will be in June, click here for the full list of nominees.

A few nominees that I found particularly interesting:

James Beard Foundation Books Awards : WRITING ON FOOD
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life

by Barbara Kingsolver

(HarperCollins Publishers)

This has got to be one of my favorite books. Mind you, I haven't finished it yet. I almost feel like I want to read it season-by-season. I read up-to the spring section, and I'm afraid to go further until spring progresses. I guess it's a vicarious pleasure.

James Beard Foundation Journalism Awards : RESTAURANT REVIEWS
Jason Sheehan

Westword

"Lost and Found", "Holiday", "After Dark"

I love reading Jason Sheehan's reviews every week. He doesn't just give you the dope on the latest restaurant or newest chefs in town, he actually helps you understand what's going on in the crazy microcosm that is the Denver restaurant scene. And he reminds us that there is a wider world out there, and how it relates to our local planet. Congrats!

Restaurant and Chef Awards: OUTSTANDING WINE AND SPIRITS PROFESSIONAL AWARD
Bobby Stuckey

Frasca Food and Wine

Boulder, CO

BEST CHEFS IN AMERICA:BEST CHEF: SOUTHWEST (AZ, CO, NM, NV, OK, TX, UT)
Ryan Hardy

Montagna

Aspen, CO

Lachlan Mackinnon-Patterson

Frasca Food and Wine

Boulder, CO