New York chefs win big at Beard awards

By Mary MacVean

May 6, 2009 12 AM PT

It was a big hometown night as most of the top James Beard Foundation awards -- best restaurant, chef and new restaurant among them -- went to New York restaurants and chefs at a gala at Lincoln Center.

Jean Georges, owned by chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten and Phil Suarez, was named outstanding restaurant of the year. Dan Barber of Blue Hill was named outstanding chef, and Momofuku Ko was named best new restaurant. Gina DePalma of Babbo was named outstanding pastry chef, and the restaurant Daniel, owned by Daniel Boulud, was honored for outstanding service.

Drew Nieporent was named outstanding restaurateur; Le Bernardin, with wine director Aldo Sohm, was given the outstanding wine service award; and Dale DeGroof was named outstanding wine and spirits professional.

All are in New York.

But California wasn’t completely shut out: Nate Appleman of A16 in San Francisco -- named for a road in southern Italy -- was recognized as the rising star chef, an award given to a chef 30 years old or younger.

And the best chef in the Pacific region was Douglas Keane of Cyrus, a Michelin two-star restaurant in the Sonoma County town of Healdsburg. Keane describes his style as “contemporary luxury.”

Awards were presented in 38 categories to food and wine professionals. CyrusFor a full list of winners, go to latimes.com/food.

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Mary MacVean

Mary MacVean is the former Mind & Body editor at the Los Angeles Times. She’s a runner and a cook, and has worked at The Times as morning assignment editor, web liaison, food writer and copy editor. She was a national editor and writer focusing on food at the Associated Press and a features editor and a columnist in Moscow, where she also ran a children’s cooking school. She left The Times in 2015.