Recap: 2014 James Beard Awards

Lincoln Center welcomed a different type of celebrity last night as chefs, restaurateurs, and sommeliers descended upon the David H. Koch Theater for the 2014 James Beard Foundation Awards.

The awards are one of the most coveted prizes in the culinary world and awarded in 20 categories for restaurants and chefs, along with restaurant design awards and special achievement awards including Humanitarian of the Year, Lifetime Achievement, Who’s Who of Food and Beverage in America, and America’s Classics.

This year’s event, which was hosted by Ted Allen with Mario Batali, had the theme of “Sounds of the City” and focused on the connection between music and food. At the gala reception, chefs including Paul Qui, Marc Vetri, and Stephanie Izard served up dishes inspired by their favorite sounds. While many of our favorite chefs were duly celebrated for their hard and creative work, women seemed to dominate the evening taking major categories like Restaurateur of the Year (Barbara Lynch), Best Chef: Northwest (Naomi Pomeroy), Best Chef: South (Sue Zemanick), Best Chef: Southeast (Ashley Christensen), and inspiring some serious girl power in a field often criticized for being male dominated. When the three hour ceremony drew to a close, the action moved offstage, with the crowd descending to the post-show gala.

Cocktails made from Latin spirits like Del Maguey Mezcal, represented by nominee Ron Cooper, and Partida Tequila, represented by uber-mixologist Junior Merino were consumed in abundance, and bites like shrimp sopes (Sue Torres), killer veggie burgers (Brooks Headley, Del Posto), and some seriously delicious muffaletas (Jonathan Benno, Lincoln) were cause for long-forming lines of hungry revelers. NYC power players Michael Bloomberg and Martha Stewart noshed alongside food world personalities such as Aaron Sanchez, John Besh, David Chang, Thomas Keller, and Maricel Presilla, but it was at the after-parties that the real merriment began.

Partygoers crawled from Boulud Sud, Daniel Boulud’s Lincoln Center outpost, down to the Meatpacking District’s Toro, where winner for Best Chef: Northeast, Jamie Bissonette, threw one hell of a soiree. The crowd was treated to heaping platters of tater tots smothered in cheese and jalapenos, passed pulled pork sandwiches, tequila cocktails and a steady beat of 80’s hip-hop. Nearby, April Bloomfield (Best Chef: NYC) celebrated her victory on the third floor of her beloved Spotted Pig, while the Eleven Madison Park crew threw a raucous party at the Highline Ballroom for their Nomad Beverage Program win.

In case you didn’t get to tune in to the live webcast last night, here were some of the other highlights. Full the full list of winners, click here.

Cookbook Hall of Fame: Diana Kennedy

Best Chef NYC: April Bloomfield, The Spotted Pig

Outstanding Pastry Chef: Dominique Ansel, Dominique Ansel Bakery, NYC

Rising Star Chef of the Year: Jimmy Bannos Jr., The Purple Pig, Chicago

Outstanding Restaurant: The Slanted Door, San Francisco

Outstanding Chef: Nancy Silverton

Humanitarian of the Year:Restaurateur Matt Haley

Lifetime Achievement Award: Sirio Maccioni, Le Cirque

Congrats to all the winners for their delicious success! Tell us on Facebook and Twitter, do you think the right chefs won?