Eater's continuous James Beard Award coverage from the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center in New York City starts now! The Beard Awards are the highest honor for food and beverage professionals working in North America. Here's the list of tonight's nominees. Updated: The liveblog is over, here's the complete list of winners.
Calm before the storm at Lincoln Center [Photo: Hillary Dixler]
5:55 Joshua David Stein and Eater's very own Kat Odell are manning the yellow carpet.
Les trois mecs. @VDotolo and Jon Shook. Bonne chance mon amis. @beardfoundation #JamesBeardAwards pic.twitter.com/Qs7tdqchOY
— Ludo Lefebvre (@chefludo) May 5, 2014
5:57 Pre-ceremony bromance courtesy of chefs Ludo Lefebvre, Jon Shook, and Vinny Dotolo
6:06 Nothing's happened yet. There's still a mob of people waiting to go in outside the theater.
Now they're herding everyone inside and only five minutes after the event was supposed to start. This is going to take some time.
— S. Irene Virbila (@sirenevirbila) May 5, 2014
6:07 #delays
6:12 In the meantime, here's the menu of what attendees will be eating tonight.
My seat at the @beardfoundation awards. Glad I was born at high altitude. #jbfa2014 pic.twitter.com/HxKthf7iPU
— Bret Thorn (@FoodWriterDiary) May 5, 2014
6:15 Still looking pretty empty inside the theater.
NO SELFIES WITH BLOOMBERG #jbfa pic.twitter.com/JTvcqGdt6U
— The Braiser (@TheBraiser) May 5, 2014
6:18 Bloomberg is here. No large sodas in sight.
6:25 The festivities begin and James Beard Foundation President Susan Ungaro is on stage thanking the lengthy list of sponsors.
6:29 Host Ted Allen is now on stage talking about chefs who play instruments and making jokes about hipster chef bands.
6:32 Mario Batali is now on stage talking about the menu for tonight which is music-inspired.
6:35 There's a preview for a film about James Beard.
6:40 Todd English is on stage presenting the award for Rising Star Chef of the Year
6:41 WINNER Rising Star Chef Award: It's a TIE Jimmy Bannos Jr. The Purple Pig and Blaine Wetzel, The Willows Inn on Lummi Island
6:47 Crucial update from Eater EIC Amanda Kludt: There's two smoke machines on stage.
6:49 First America's Classic inductee is Sokolowski's University Inn which has been around since 1923. Here's a great video of the restaurant.
6:55 WINNER Outstanding Bar Program: The Bar at the NoMad Hotel. Beverage Director Leo Robitschek sweetly thanks his mom and admits he's a lot more sober than when he won the award last time.
7:00 WINNER Outstanding Wine Program: The Barn at Blackberry Farm
7:02 Bloomberg is here to present the Lifetime Achievement Award to Sirio Maccioni and jokes about opening a Mexican restaurant with him.
7:07 Touching video about Maccioni: "An Italian John Wayne"
7:09 Lifetime Achievement Award: Sirio Maccioni, Restaurateur, New York City. "The king of restaurateurs." He's looking extra dapper rocking a red vest.
7:13 WINNER Outstanding Wine, Beer, or Spirits Professional: Garrett Oliver, Brooklyn Brewery
7:14 Pretty sure Garrett Oliver is wearing a green velvet suit. He deserved to win just for that alone.
7:16 Barbara Lynch and Daniel Boulud are too blind to read the teleprompter so they are reading off of their phones. Lynch drops a couple of swear words.
7:18 WINNER Best Chef Northwest: Naomi Pomeroy, Beast. Her staff is making lobster crepes for tonight's dinner.
7:21 WINNER Best Chef Northeast: Jamie Bissonnette, Coppa. Excellent acceptance speech: "I'd like to thank my father for putting up with all the dumb shit I did as a kid."
7:24 First half of the Who's Who Inductees: Journalist/food writer Edward Behr, chef/restaurateur/man with beautiful hair John Besh, chef and restaurateur David Chang
7:28 WINNER Best Chef Southwest: Chris Shepherd, Underbelly
Will they play The Who for the Who's Who of Food and Beverage?
— Greg Morabito (@GregMorabito) May 5, 2014
7:30 Important questions from Eater NY's Greg Morabito
7:33 Winner Best Chef West: Daniel Patterson, Coi
7:33 Pretty sure they're playing Smash Mouth as Patterson makes his way to the stage
7:36 Second America's Classic inductee is Perini Ranch Steakhouse in Buffalo Gap, Texas. There's lots of cowboy hats in this video.
7:39 Robert DeNiro Alert!
7:40 Carla Hall does taco night every week with Mario Batali.
7:40 WINNER Best Chef Great Lakes: Dave Beran, Next
7:40 They are playing an instrumental version of Get Low by Flo Rida. Seriously. "Apple Bottom Jeans and boots with the fur" is now stuck in everyone's heads.
7:44 WINNER Best Chef Midwest: Justin Aprahamian, Sanford
So many congratulations to all Beard winners but especially my good friends and heroes @dcberan @dcpatterson and all other chefs named DC.
— Francis Lam (@Francis_Lam) May 5, 2014
7:46 Francis Lam spots a pattern.
7:49 This pig is chillin' at the iberico carving station in the media room.
7:53 The live stream has just gone radio silent.
#jbfa wow, Holly Williams and Chris Coleman of Kings of Leon playing for the awards ceremony.
— S. Irene Virbila (@sirenevirbila) May 5, 2014
7:55 Apparently there is a fancy musical performance going down. Hoping it involves what appears to be the theme of the night: random chart toppers from the 90s and 00s
7:57 Proof Batali wears his orange crocs EVERYWHERE.
8:02 WINNER Best Chef Southeast: Ashley Christensen, Poole's Downtown Diner. They are currently playing some seriously good banjo music.
I will be presenting james beard award to best restaurant at Lincoln center
— Martha Stewart (@MarthaStewart) May 6, 2014
8:06 MARTHA is making an appearance tonight.
8:07 WINNER Best Chef South: TIE, Ryan Prewitt, Peche Seafood Grill and Sue Zemanick, Gautreau's. Zemanick thanks her cat.
8:10 Delta is giving away two free business elite plane tickets. Alas, no First Class seats for Beard attendees.
8:14 Second half of the Who's Who Inductees: Author Barry Estabrook, chef/restaurateur Paul Kahan, pastry chef Sherry Yard
8:15 Who's Who inductees don't give acceptance speeches for some reason. Caught a brief glimpse of John Besh. His coif is as lovely as ever.
8:17 Third America's Classic inductee is Olneyville New York System in Providence, RI.
8:19 Mario Batali and Questlove are best buds.
8:20 WINNER Best Chef Mid-Atlantic: Vikram Sunderam, Rasika
8:25 WINNER Best Chef New York City: April Bloomfield, Spotted Pig . She says: "I'd like to thank Jamie Oliver, he didn't take the job and that's why i'm standing here today"
8:28 The term "foodies" has been dropped twice tonight.
8:29 Fourth America's Classic inductee is Nick's Italian Café from McMinnville, Oregon
8:33 WINNER Restaurant Design: 75 Seats and Under: Grace, Chicago by Lawton Stanley Architects.
8:37 WINNER Restaurant Design: 76 Seats and Over: Shed, Healdsburg, CA by Jensen Architects
8:38 More throwback tunes, this time Remember the Name by Fort Minor
Makes them tender and moist, protein dries out !
RT. @ChrisGill9: @Mariobatali a simple question, why put breadcrumbs in meatballs?"
— Mario Batali (@Mariobatali) May 6, 2014
8:41 Batali still finds time to answer cooking questions in between giving out awards.
8:43 Humanitarian of the Year: Restaurateur Matt Haley. "My life is no longer about the center of the plate, it's about how I am involved in my community, locally and globally." On the culinary world: "I'm a member of the most compassionate, caring industry in the world."
8:48: The livestream has gone radio silent. Again.
April is pic.twitter.com/gbczdHX4Tp
— Paul Kahan (@PaulKahan) May 6, 2014
8:49: Excellent chef selfie (chelfie?) from winners Paul Kahan and April Bloomfield
8:51: It's back! Trisha Yearwood just dropped "foodie." That's 3 so far for the night.
8:53 WINNER Best New Restaurant: Peche Seafood Grill, New Orleans. The restaurant's second win tonight! First one for Best Chef South. "We went to Uruguay, Spain & BBQ country to open a seafood restaurant in NOLA."
8:56 Fifth (and final) America's Classic inductee is Hansen's Sno-Bliz in New Orleans. They make Satsuma snow-balls.
9:00 Mario Batali and Brooks Headley are making awkward jokes about veggie burgers.
8:59 WINNER Outstanding Pastry Chef: Dominique Ansel, Dominique Ansel Bakery
9:02 They are playing "I want candy" should be playing "I want Cronuts"
9:04 MARTHA STEWART
9:06 WINNER Outstanding Restaurateur: Barbara Lynch, Barbara Lynch Gruppo
9:07They are playing an instrumental version of "In Da Club" as Lynch walks up to the stage.
9:08 Lynch is very visibly moved by the honor. This is the second year in a row that a woman has won.
9:10 WINNER Outstanding Service: The Restaurant at Meadowood, St. Helena, CA
9:12Team Meadowood + a cameo from Jacques Pepin
9:15 WINNER Outstanding Restaurant: The Slanted Door, San Francisco. "I pinch myself everyday that people still want to come after almost 20 years."
Bullshit
— Paul Kahan (@PaulKahan) May 6, 2014
9:17 Paul Kahan doesn't agree with one of the winners.
9:19 #GIRLPOWER
9:19 WINNER Outstanding Chef: Nancy Silverton, Pizzeria Mozza. She also wins for fiercest glasses.
9:20 Silverton is the 4th woman to win the Outstanding Chef award.
9:22 Someone on live cast shouts "Let's get out of here." Crowd and hosts agree. And that's a wrap. Expect a very hungover restaurant industry tomorrow.
Updated: The liveblog is over. Here's the full list of winners.
