Alinea's Grant Achatz, the headline-grabbing chef known for his genre-defying cuisine (and, unfortunately, for his high-profile battle with cancer over the past year), took home the top chef honors at Sunday's James Beard Awards. Described as going to "a working chef in America whose career has set national industry standards and who has served as an inspiration to other food professionals," the Outstanding Chef Award had four other national contenders: José Andrés of minibar in Washington, D.C., Dan Barber of Blue Hill in New York, Suzanne Goin of Lucques in Los Angeles, and Frank Stitt of Highlands Bar & Grill in Birmingham, Alabama.
Chicago restaurants also received three other awards: Outstanding Restaurant Graphics (Robert Louey Design for its work with Sepia), Best Chef: Great Lakes region (Carrie Nahabedian of Naha), and an America's Classic award (Tufano's Vernon Park Tap, a legendary family-run operation open since the 1930s). And the city can also take partial credit for one additional honor: Best Television Food Special went to the Top Chef Holiday Special, filmed at the top-secret location that served as the contestants' headquarters during the current season of the reality show.
Chicago restaurants also received three other awards: Outstanding Restaurant Graphics (Robert Louey Design for its work with Sepia), Best Chef: Great Lakes region (Carrie Nahabedian of Naha), and an America's Classic award (Tufano's Vernon Park Tap, a legendary family-run operation open since the 1930s). And the city can also take partial credit for one additional honor: Best Television Food Special went to the Top Chef Holiday Special, filmed at the top-secret location that served as the contestants' headquarters during the current season of the reality show.
