Congrats to James Beard Award Winners Paul Qui and Hugh Acheson!

Top Chef Season 9 winner Paul Qui adds another notch to his award-winning belt after being named Best Chef, Southwest by the James Beard Foundation for his work at Uchiko in Austin, TX! Here’s a quick interview with Paul after his win from the Daily Meal.

Meanwhile, Top Chef Judge and TC Masters contestant Hugh Acheson won Beards in two categories. Last Friday he took top honors at the James Beard Foundation Media Awards for Best Cookbook, American for "A New Turn in the South: Southern Flavors Reinvented for Your Kitchen.” And, in a Beard Award rarity, the HughniBrow tied for Best Chef, Southeast for his restaurant Five and Ten in Athens, GA, with Linton Hopkins of Restaurant Eugene, in Atlanta. AJC has a hometown proud post here.

Here's a list of all the other fine Beard Award winners in the Best Chef and Restaurant categories.Congratulations to all the nominees and the teams that help make their culinary magic happen!

Posted on AllTopChef.com

Congratulations, James Beard Finalists!

Several past Top Cheftestants from both the mothership and Top Chef Masters have been nominated for 2012 James Beard awards. Congratulations and good luck to:

Master Jody Adams, Rialto, Cambridge, MA
Master Tony Mantuano, Spiaggia, Chicago
Season 6 Kevin Gillespie, Woodfire Grill, Atlanta
Season 4 Stephanie Izard, Girl & the Goat, Chicago
Season 6 Bryan Voltaggio, Volt, Frederick, MD
Master Wylie Dufresne, wd~50, New York
Master Anita Lo, Annisa, New York
Master George Mendes, Aldea, New York
Master Jonathan Waxman, Barbuto, New York
Master Naomi Pomeroy, Beast, Portland, OR
Master Michael Chiarello, Bottega, Yountville, CA
Master Michael Cimarusti, Providence, Los Angeles
Master John Rivera Sedlar, Rivera, Los Angeles
Master Hugh Acheson, Five and Ten, Athens, GA
Season 9 Edward Lee, 610 Magnolia, Louisville, KY
Season 5 Jeff Mcinnis, Yardbird Southern Table & Bar, Miami Beach, Fl
Season 9 Paul Qui, Uchi, Austin, TX

Posted on AllTopChef.com

Congratulations, Tom Colicchio!

Chef Tom Colicchio was named the nation's Top Chef by the James Beard Foundation in a ceremony held Monday night. Congrats, Chef!

Timothy Hollingsworth was named Rising Star of the Year. You may remember him as the French Laundry chef who appeared as a guest judge in the Bocuse d'Or episode of Top Chef Las Vegas.

Bryan Voltaggio was nominated in the best chef Mid-Atlantic category, but sadly he did not win. There's always next year....

Congratulations!

Congrats are in order for Tom Colicchio and Bryan Voltaggio for making to the final list of nominees for this year's James Beard Awards. Tom has been nominated for the Outstanding Chef Award, and Bryan for Best Chef Mid-Atlantic.

James Beard Semi-Finalists Named

There are some familiar names among the James Beard semi-finalists this year. There were twenty names in each category - the pack will be thinned down yet again and finalists will be announced March 22 in New Orleans.

OUTSTANDING CHEF
Tom Colicchio, Craft, NYC (Host, Top Chef)
Mark Peel, Campanile, Los Angeles (Top Chef Masters 1 & 2)
Jerry Traunfeld, Poppy, Seattle (Top Chef Masters 2)

RISING STAR CHEF OF THE YEAR
Kevin Gillespie, Woodfire Grill, Atlanta (Finalist, Top Chef 6)

BEST CHEF: MID-ATLANTIC
Bryan Voltaggio, Volt, Frederick, MD (Finalist, Top Chef 6)

BEST CHEF: NEW YORK CITY
Wylie Dufresne, WD-50 (Top Chef Masters 1 & 2)
Jonathan Waxman, Barbuto (Top Chef Masters 1 & 2)

BEST CHEF: PACIFIC
Michael Cimarusti, Providence, Los Angeles (Top Chef Masters 1)