James Beard Foundation Awards

The 2009 James Beard Foundation Awards were celebrated this past Monday night in New York City. Some familiar names popped up as winners and losers.

In the category of Television Food Show, National and local, the wonderful Lidia Matticchio Bastianich won with her show, Lidia's Italy: Sweet Napoli, seen on PBS channels nationally.

My hometown newspaper, The Washington Post took home the Newspaper Food Section award for their excellent writing and beautiful graphics. In the category of Website Focusing on Food, Beverage, Restaurants, or Nutrition, Epicurious beat out some wickedcompetition in Chow.com and Gourmet.com to take the prize.

Cookbook of the year was awarded to Jennifer McLagan for her book Fat: An Appreciation of the Misunderstood Ingredient, with Recipes.

Taking the Food Porn award for Cookbook Photography is Dominic Davies for his work in Heston Blumenthal's The Big Fat Duck Cookbook. (Can you say book envy?)

Jean-Georges Vongerichten takes the Outstanding Restaurant Award for Jean Georges in New York City.

Dan Barber emerges from a loaded field of top notch chefs that included one of my personal favorites, Suzanne Goin of Lucques to take the Outstanding Chef award.

Sadly there is no category for Top Pimp because someone I know would have been a shoo in.