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2009 James Beard Foundation Awards Winners

> Broadcast Media
> Journalism
> Book Awards
> Design and Graphics
> Restaurant and Chef
> Humanitarian Award
> Who's Who of Food & Beverage in America
> Lifetime Achievement Award
> America's Classics

Please click here to download the complete list of Award Nominees
Please click here to download Award Winners

Broadcast Media Awards

Presented by Viking Range Corporation
For television, webcast, and radio programs aired in 2008.

AUDIO WEBCAST OR RADIO SHOW

Living Today, Martha Stewart Living Radio: José Andrés
Host: Mario Bosquez
Area: Nationwide U.S.
Producers: Naomi Gabay and Lauren Gould

Graperadio.com: Thomas Jefferson and Wine
Hosts: Ted M. Burns, Brian Clark, Eric Anderson, and Jay Selman
Area: Online
Producer: Jay Selman

VIDEO WEBCAST

Obsessives: School Lunch Revolutionary
Chow.com
Producers: Meredith Arthur and Eric Slatkin

The Art of Blending
Hosts: Brian Clark, Eric Anderson, and Jay Selman
Graperadio.com
Producers: Jay Selman and Mark Ryan

TELEVISION FOOD SHOW, NATIONAL AND LOCAL

The Château Dinner: A French Food at Home Special with Laura Calder
Host: Laura Calder
Network: Food Network Canada
Producers: Johanna Eliot and Dugald McLaren  

We Live to Eat: New Orleans' Love Affair with Food
Network: PBS
Producers: e/Prime Media and the Historic New Orleans Collection

TELEVISION FOOD SEGMENT, NATIONAL AND LOCAL

ABC News, Nightline: Platelist
Hosts: Martin Bashir, Cynthia McFadden, and Terry Moran
Network: ABC
Producer: Sarah Rosenberg

ABC 7 News Friday Night Special: Hungry Hound
Host: Steve Dolinsky
Network: ABC
Producer: Badriyyah Waheed

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Journalism Awards

For articles published in English in 2008.

NEWSPAPER FEATURE WRITING ABOUT RESTAURANTS AND/OR CHEFS

Monica Eng, Phil Vettel
Chicago Tribune
“Big Night. Big Mystery: Why Did Michael Carlson Vanish the Day After Serving Dinner to the Greatest Chefs in the World?”

Tom Sietsema
The Washington Post
“Sound Check”

NEWSPAPER FEATURE WRITING WITHOUT RECIPES

Monica Eng
Chicago Tribune
“Morality Bites: Mustering Some Sympathy for the Bedeviled Ham and Beef”

Craig LaBan
The Philadelphia Inquirer
“The Tender and the Tough”

NEWSPAPER FEATURE WRITING WITH RECIPES

David Leite
The New York Times
“Perfection? Hint: It’s Warm and Has a Secret”

Kathleen Purvis
The Charlotte Observer
“The Belly of the Beast”

NEWSPAPER FOOD SECTION

Chicago Tribune
Carol Mighton Haddix

San Francisco Chronicle
Jon Bonné and Miriam Morgan

MAGAZINE FEATURE WRITING ABOUT RESTAURANTS AND/OR CHEFS

Alan Richman
Departures
“Eating Small in New York”

Anya von Bremzen
Food & Wine
“The Grilling Genius of Spain”

MAGAZINE FEATURE WRITING WITH RECIPES

David Dobbs
Recipes by John Ash
EatingWell
“The Wild Salmon Debate: A Fresh Look at Whether Eating Farmed Salmon is...Well...OK”

James Peterson
Saveur
“Mother Sauce: The Ancient Art of the Saucier is Alive and Well in the Kitchens of Paris and Beyond”

MAGAZINE FEATURE WRITING WITHOUT RECIPES

Patricia Sharpe and the staff members of Texas Monthly Magazine
Texas Monthly
“BBQ 08 (The Top 50 BBQ Joints in Texas)”

Monique Truong
Gourmet
“My Cherry Amour”

RESTAURANT REVIEWS

Jonathan Gold
LA Weekly
“A Proper Brasserie,” “A Fine Palate,” “Pho Town”

Tom Sietsema
The Washington Post
“Great Expectations,” “Robo Restaurant,” “An Earned Exclamation”

REPORTING ON NUTRITION OR FOOD-RELATED CONSUMER ISSUES

Barry Estabrook
Gourmet
“Greens of Wrath”

Mark Adams, Amanda Fortini, Melissa Kirsch, Josh Ozersky, Rob Patronite, Adam Platt, and Robin Raisfeld
New York Magazine
“What Good is Breakfast?”

BLOG FOCUSING ON FOOD, BEVERAGE, RESTAURANTS, OR NUTRITION

Andrew Knowlton
The BA Foodist
Bonappetit.com

Hank Shaw
Hunter Angler Gardener Cook
Honest-food.net

FOOD-RELATED COLUMNS

Dorie Greenspan
Bon Appétit
“Bacon-Cheddar Quick Bread,” “All-Purpose Holiday Cake,” “My Go-To Dough”

Laura Shapiro
Gourmet.com
“Campaign Cookies,” “Why Does America Hate Ratatouille?,” “The Lord is my Chef”

WRITING ON SPIRITS, WINE, OR BEER

Jon Bonné
San Francisco Chronicle
“Revolution by the Glass”

Jay McInerney
Men's Vogue
“Billionaire Winos”

WEBSITE FOCUSING ON FOOD, BEVERAGE, RESTAURANTS, OR NUTRITION

Chow.com
Jane Goldman

Gourmet.com
Ruth Reichl

MULTIMEDIA FOOD JOURNALISM

Ruth Reichl
Gourmet.com
“Gourmet Cookbook Club”

Mike Sula
Chicagoreader.com
“The Whole Hog Project”

M.F.K. FISHER DISTINGUISHED WRITING AWARD

Celia Barbour
O, The Oprah Magazine
“Knead, Pray, Love”

Alan Richman
GQ
“My Sweet Life”

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Book Awards

Presented by Green & Black's® Organic Chocolate
For cookbooks published in English in 2008.

COOKBOOK OF THE YEAR

COOKBOOK HALL OF FAME

AMERICAN COOKING

Arthur Schwartz's Jewish Home Cooking: Yiddish Recipes Revisited
by Arthur Schwartz
(Ten Speed Press)

Cooking Up a Storm: Recipes Lost and Found from The Times-Picayune of New Orleans
Edited by: Marcelle Bienvenu and Judy Walker
(Chronicle Books)

BAKING

Baking for All Occasions: A Treasury of Recipes for Everyday Celebrations
by Flo Braker
(Chronicle Books)

The Art and Soul of Baking
by Cindy Mushet, Sur La Table
(Andrews McMeel Publishing)

BEVERAGE

The Harney and Sons Guide to Tea
by Michael Harney with Emily Kaiser
(The Penguin Press)

The Wines of Burgundy
by Clive Coates
(University of California Press)

COOKING FROM A PROFESSIONAL POINT OF VIEW

The Big Fat Duck Cookbook
by Heston Blumenthal
(Bloomsbury USA)

Under Pressure: Cooking Sous Vide
by Thomas Keller
(Artisan)

GENERAL COOKING

Martha Stewart’s Cooking School: Lessons and Recipes for the Home Cook
by Martha Stewart with Sarah Carey
(Clarkson Potter)

The Bon Appétit Fast Easy Fresh Cookbook
by Barbara Fairchild
(John Wiley & Sons, Inc.)

HEALTHY FOCUS

Cooking with the Seasons at Rancho La Puerta: Recipes from the World-Famous Spa
by Deborah Szekely and Deborah M. Schneider, with Jesús González
(Stewart, Tabori & Chang)

EatingWell for a Healthy Heart Cookbook
by Philip A. Ades, M.D. and the Editors of EatingWell
(The Countryman Press)

INTERNATIONAL

Jewish Holiday Cooking: A Food Lover’s Treasury of Classics and Improvisations
by Jayne Cohen
(John Wiley & Sons, Inc.)

Southeast Asian Flavors: Adventures in Cooking the Foods of Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, & Singapore
by Robert Danhi
(Mortar & Press)

PHOTOGRAPHY

Decadent Desserts
Photographer: Thomas Dhellemmes
(Flammarion)

Haute Chinese Cuisine from the Kitchen of Wakiya
Photographer: Masashi Kuma
(Kodansha International)

REFERENCE AND SCHOLARSHIP

Milk: The Surprising Story of Milk Through the Ages
by Anne Mendelson
(Knopf)

The Science of Good Food
by David Joachim and Andrew Schloss, with A. Philip Handel, Ph.D.
(Robert Rose Inc.)

SINGLE SUBJECT

Mediterranean Fresh: A Compendium of One-Plate Salad Meals and Mix-and-Match Dressings
by Joyce Goldstein
(W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.)

The Best Casserole Cookbook Ever
by Beatrice Ojakangas
(Chronicle Books)

WRITING AND LITERATURE

Shark’s Fin and Sichuan Pepper: A Sweet-Sour Memoir of Eating in China
by Fuchsia Dunlop
(W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.)

Raising Steaks: The Life and Times of American Beef
by Betty Fussell
(Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)

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Design and Graphics Awards

OUTSTANDING RESTAURANT DESIGN

For the best restaurant design or renovation in North America since January 1, 2006

Design Firm: Design Bureaux, Inc.
Designer: Thomas Schlesser
Project: Bar Boulud, NYC

Design Firm: Starck Network and SBE Design Team
Designers: Philippe Starck, Bruno Barrione, and Theresa Fatino
Project: The Bazaar by José Andrés at SLS Hotel at Beverly Hills, Los Angeles

OUTSTANDING RESTAURANT GRAPHICS

For the best restaurant graphics executed in North America since January 1, 2006

Design Firm: The JNL Graphic Design
Designers: Jason Pickleman and Donald Madia
Project: The Publican, Chicago

Designer: Steven Solomon
Project: Terroir, NYC

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Restaurant and Chef Awards

OUTSTANDING RESTAURATEUR AWARD

A working restaurateur who sets high national standards in restaurant operations and entrepreneurship. Candidates must have been in the restaurant business for at least 10 years. Candidates must not have been nominated for a James Beard Foundation chef award in the past 10 years.

Tom Douglas
Tom Douglas Restaurants
Seattle

Keith McNally
Balthazar, Lucky Strike, Morandi, Pastis, Pravda, and Schiller's Liquor Bar
NYC

Richard Melman
Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises
Chicago

Stephen Starr
Starr Restaurants
Philadelphia

OUTSTANDING CHEF AWARD

Presented by All-Clad Metalcrafters
A working chef in America whose career has set national industry standards and who has served as an inspiration to other food professionals. Candidates must have been working as chefs for at least the past 5 years.

José Andrés
Minibar
Washington, D.C.

Tom Colicchio
Craft
NYC

Suzanne Goin
Lucques
Los Angeles

Paul Kahan
Blackbird
Chicago

OUTSTANDING RESTAURANT AWARD

A restaurant in the United States that serves as a national standard-bearer for consistent quality and excellence in food, atmosphere, and service. Candidates must have been in operation for at least 10 or more consecutive years.

Babbo
NYC
Chef/Owner: Mario Batali
Owner: Joe Bastianich

Boulevard
San Francisco
Chef/Owner: Nancy Oakes
Owner: Pat Kuleto

Fore Street
Portland, ME
Chef/Owner: Sam Hayward
Owner: Victor Leon and Dana Street

Highlands Bar & Grill
Birmingham, AL
Chef/Owner: Frank Stitt

RISING STAR CHEF OF THE YEAR AWARD

A chef age 30 or younger who displays an impressive talent and who is likely to have a significant impact on the industry in years to come.

Sean Brock
McCrady's
Charleston, SC

Johnny Monis
Komi
Washington, D.C.

Gabriel Rucker
Le Pigeon
Portland, OR

Michael Solomonov
Zahav
Philadelphia

Sue Zemanick
Gautreau's
New Orleans

BEST NEW RESTAURANT

Presented by Lexus
A restaurant opened in 2008 that already displays excellence in food, beverage, and service and is likely to have a significant impact on the industry in years to come.

The Bazaar by José Andrés at SLS Hotel at Beverly Hills
Los Angeles
Chef/Owner: José Andrés
Owners: SBE

Corton
NYC
Chef/Owner: Paul Liebrandt
Owner: Drew Nieporent

L2O
Chicago
Chef: Laurent Gras
Owner: Richard Melman

Scarpetta
NYC
Chef/Owner: Scott Conant

OUTSTANDING PASTRY CHEF AWARD

Presented by All-Clad Metalcrafters
A chef or baker who prepares desserts, pastries, or breads and who serves as a national standard-bearer for excellence. Candidates must have been pastry chefs or bakers for at least the past 5 years.

Kamel Guechida
Joël Robuchon at MGM Grand Hotel & Casino
Las Vegas

Pichet Ong
P*ong
NYC

Nicole Plue
Redd
Yountville, CA

Mindy Segal
Mindy's HotChocolate
Chicago

OUTSTANDING WINE SERVICE AWARD

A restaurant that displays and encourages excellence in wine service through a well-presented wine list, a knowledgeable staff, and efforts to educate customers about wine. Candidates must have been in operation for at least 5 years.

Bin 36
Chicago
Wine Director: Brian Duncan

Blackberry Farm
Walland, TN
Wine Director: Andy Chabot

Patina
Los Angeles
Wine Director: Eric Espuny

Picasso at Bellagio
Las Vegas
Wine Director: Robert Smith

OUTSTANDING WINE AND SPIRITS PROFESSIONAL AWARD

Presented by Southern Wine & Spirits
A winemaker, brewer, or spirits professional who has had a significant impact on the wine and spirits industry nationwide. Candidates must have been in the profession for at least 5 years.

Merry Edwards
Merry Edwards Wines
Sebastopol, CA

Garrett Oliver
The Brooklyn Brewery
Brooklyn, NY

John Shafer and Doug Shafer
Shafer Vineyards
Napa, CA

Julian P. Van Winkle, III
Old Rip Van Winkle Distillery
Louisville, KY

OUTSTANDING SERVICE AWARD

Presented by Stella Artois
A restaurant that demonstrates high standards of hospitality and service. Candidates must have been in operation for at least the past 5 years.

Emeril's New Orleans
New Orleans
Owner: Emeril Lagasse

La Grenouille
NYC
Owners: Charles Masson and Giséle Masson

Spiaggia
Chicago
Owner: Levy Restaurants

Vetri
Philadelphia
Owners: Marc Vetri and Jeff Benjamin

BEST CHEFS IN AMERICA

Presented by American Express®
Chefs who have set new or consistent standards of excellence in their respective regions. Candidates must have been working as chefs in any type of dining establishment for at least the past 5 years. The 3 most recent years must have been spent in the region where the chef is presently working.

Best Chef: Pacific (CA, HI)

Jeremy Fox
Ubuntu
Napa, CA

Loretta Keller
Coco500
San Francisco

David Kinch
Manresa
Los Gatos, CA

Daniel Patterson
Coi
San Francisco

Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic (D.C., DE, MD, NJ, PA, VA)

Cathal Armstrong
Restaurant Eve
Alexandria, VA

Peter Pastan
Obelisk
Washington, D.C.

Maricel Presilla
Cucharamama
Hoboken, NJ

Vikram Sunderam
Rasika
Washington, D.C.

Best Chef: Midwest (IA, KS, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD, WI)

Isaac Becker
112 Eatery
Minneapolis

Gerard Craft
Niche
St. Louis, MO

Colby Garrelts
Bluestem
Kansas City, MO

Alexander Roberts
Restaurant Alma
Minneapolis

Best Chef: Great Lakes (IL, IN, MI, OH)

Koren Grieveson
Avec
Chicago

Arun Sampanthavivat
Arun's
Chicago

Bruce Sherman
North Pond
Chicago

Alex Young
Zingerman's Roadhouse
Ann Arbor, MI

Best Chef: New York City (Five Boroughs)

Michael Anthony
Gramercy Tavern

Terrance Brennan
Picholine

Wylie Dufresne
WD-50

Gabrielle Hamilton
Prune

Best Chef: Northeast (CT, MA, ME, NH, NY STATE, RI, VT)

Clark Frasier and Mark Gaier
Arrows
Ogunquit, ME

Michael Leviton
Lumiére
West Newton, MA

Tony Maws
Craigie on Main
Cambridge, MA

Marc Orfaly
Pigalle
Boston

Best Chef: Northwest (AK, ID, MT, OR, WA, WY)

Joseba Jiménez de Jiménez
The Harvest Vine
Seattle

Ethan Stowell
Union
Seattle

Cathy Whims
Nostrana
Portland, OR

Jason Wilson
Crush
Seattle

Best Chef: Southeast (GA, KY, NC, SC, TN, WV)

Hugh Acheson
Five and Ten
Athens, GA

Linton Hopkins
Restaurant Eugene
Atlanta

Bill Smith
Crook's Corner
Chapel Hill, NC

Bob Waggoner
Charleston Grill
Charleston, SC

Best Chef: Southwest (AZ, CO, NM, NV, OK, TX, UT)

Sharon Hage
York Street
Dallas

Ryan Hardy
Montagna at the Little Nell
Aspen, CO

Claude Le Tohic
Joël Robuchon at MGM Grand Hotel & Casino
Las Vegas

Andrew Weissman
Le Rêve
San Antonio

Best Chef: South (AL, AR, FL, LA, MS)

Zach Bell
Café Boulud at the Brazilian Court
Palm Beach, FL

John Harris
Lilette
New Orleans

Douglas Rodriguez
Ola
Miami Beach, FL

Michael Schwartz
Michael’s Genuine Food & Drink
Miami

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Humanitarian of the Year
Feeding America

The James Beard Foundation Humanitarian of the Year award is given to an individual working in the realm of food who has given selflessly and worked tirelessly to better the lives of others and society at large.

More than 36 million Americans face issues of hunger and food insecurity each day. For more than 30 years, Feeding America (formerly named America’s Second Harvest) has provided free food and grocery products to those Americans who aren’t sure where their next meal will come from. Feeding America operates through a nationwide network of more than 200 food banks, including City Harvest and the Food Bank for New York City, and more than 63,000 charitable feeding agencies. Each year, they acquire and distribute 2 billion pounds of food to more than 25 million Americans, including 9 million children and 3 million seniors.  If you rolled up all of the operating plans from our food banks with the national office, we would be the third largest charity in the United States,” said Vicki Escarra, the organization’s president and CEO.

The idea of food banking was conceived by John van Hengel, a retired Phoenix businessman, who opened St. Mary’s Food Bank in 1967 after seeing a woman rummaging trough a dumpster to find food for her family. Hengel’s concept spread across the country, and in 1979 a nationwide network of food banks called Second Harvest was created. The organization swiftly moved beyond basic product solicitation and into new areas, such as establishing food safety standards and refining best practices for food banks. By 1984, Second Harvest had moved from Phoenix to Chicago, a more central location for the growing national network.

In 1999, the organization changed its name to America’s Second Harvest and the following year merged with Foodchain, the nation’s largest food-rescue organization. America’s Second Harvest was the most comprehensive and efficient charitable hunger-fighting organization in the country. In 2008, the organization changed its name again to address the public awareness challenge of getting Americans to understand that there were hungry people in their midst. Feeding America secures food for distribution, provides funds for local food banks, standardizes training and care at the local level, and advocates for hunger issues. “Food is so basic,” Escarra said, “Sometimes I think we take it for granted, but the reality is when you don' thave it there’s nothing more important than that.”

Ever growing and evolving, Feeding America plans to expand its reach and impact in the years to come. They intend to fundamentally change the way corporations donate food and grocery products, improve the way food banks across the country help each other succeed, and infuse the lives of millions of struggling Americans with hope and the power to thrive. The economic realities of our time mean that their mission will only become more important and more difficult to fulfill in the years to come. “One stunning thing is I’ve never yet been involved in asking an individual or a donor to help us and have someone say no.” Escarra said. “The interesting thing about the work we do is the people that we work with so appreciate everything that we provide them that it's really very inspiring to have a chance to do this work.” We salute Feeding America and the individuals and organizations who support them.

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Who's Who of Food & Beverage in America Inductees

David Burke
Chef, Entrepreneur, NYC

A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, David Burke is a chef, entrepreneur, and inventor. He worked under Pierre Troisgros, Georges Blanc, and Gaston Lenôtre in France before returning to the U.S. to work at La Cremaillére and River Café. In 1992, Burke opened Park Avenue Café with Smith & Wollensky CEO Alan Stillman and became VP of Culinary Development for the Smith & Wollensky Group four years later. With his creative energies, Burke developed new products, such as GourmetPops and Flavorsprays. He opened davidburke & donatella in 2003 (now known as David Burke Townhouse), followed by David Burke at Bloomingdale’s, David Burke’s Primehouse, David Burke Fromagerie, and David Burke Las Vegas, Fishtail by David Burke. His awards include the Meilleurs Ouvriers de France Diplome d'Honneur, Robert Mondavi Award of Excellence, and Nation’s Restaurant News’ 50 Top R&D Culinarians. Burke’s first cookbook, Cooking with David Burke was published in 1995, and his second, David Burke’s New American Classics, in April, 2006.

John T. Edge
Journalist, Director, Southern Foodways Alliance, Oxford, MS

John T. Edge is director of the Southern Foodways Alliance, an institute of the Center for the Study of Southern Culture at the University of Mississippi, where he documents and celebrates the diverse food cultures of the American South. The SFA has completed more than 300 oral histories and 20 films, focusing on the likes of fried chicken cooks, row crop farmers, oystermen, and bartenders. Edge is also a contributing editor at Gourmet. He writes for the New York Times. He is a longtime a columnist for the Oxford American. His work for Saveur and other magazines has been featured in six editions of the Best Food Writing compilation. Edge is the author of six books, including the James Beard Foundation Award–nominated cookbook, A Gracious Plenty: Recipes and Recollections from the American South (2002). He is the editor of seven books, including the foodways volume of the New Encyclopedia of Southern Culture (2007).

Betty Fussell
Author, Culinary Historian, NYC

Betty Fussell is a cookbook writer and food historian, specializing in American food and good home cooking. As a cook, she likes recipes that are simple, improvisatory, and tasty—things anyone could do with no more than a sharp knife, a skillet, and a few good, fresh ingredients. Her many cookbooks reflect these interests, from her first, Masters of American Cookery (1984), to her most recent, Home Bistro (1997). She is best known for I Hear America Cooking (1986 and 1997), her 2000 memoir My Kitchen Wars, and for the epic history of the New World's native grain, The Story of Corn (1992), for which she won the International Association of Culinary Professional's Jane Grigson Award. Her articles have appeared in publications like the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, Travel and Leisure, Cosmopolitan, Food Arts, Food & Wine, Bon Appétit, Cooking Light, and Vogue.

Dorothy Hamilton
Founder, The French Culinary Institute, NYC

A lifelong Francophile and epicure, Dorothy Hamilton founded the French Culinary Institute in 1984. Her distinguished career in vocational education and outstanding reputation for innovative programs in gastronomy have resulted in numerous accolades and tributes, including the Chevalier dans l'Ordre National du Mérite and Chevalier du Mérite Agricole from the French government. Hamilton has also received the coveted Silver Spoon Award from Food Arts magazine. Elected chairwoman of the American Institute of Wine & Food, Hamilton was soon appointed Chairwoman emerita for life. Most recently, she served as Chairman of the Board of Trustees for the James Beard Foundation. She holds B.A. Honours from the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England, and an M.B.A. from New York University.

Clark Wolf
Clark Wolf Company, NYC

Clark Wolf is founder and President of Clark Wolf Company, a New York-based food and restaurant consulting firm established in 1986. He worked as a consultant for more than a decade with Loews Hotels, with whom he worked on 18 properties. In 1994, he opened his own restaurant, the Markham, in New York City. After a successful two-year run, Wolf sold his part of the Markham to refocus on Clark Wolf Company. Wolf has chaired the Advisory Committee to New York University’s Department of Nutrition & Food Studies and now hosts the acclaimed New York University Critical Topics in Food Series at the Fales Library & Special Collections. After founding the New York chapter of the American Institute of Wine & Food, he served on its National Board and mounted six international conferences. Current and recent projects include: Mandalay Resort Group in Las Vegas, Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas, Tabcorp, Australia, Rockefeller University and the Virgin Resort and Spa at Natirar. Wolf is the author of the recently published, American Cheeses.

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Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient
Ella Brennan

Partner, Commander's Palace Family of Restaurants

The Lifetime Achievement award is given to an individual whose lifetime body of work has had a positive and long-lasting impact on the way we eat, cook, and/or think about food in America.

“Living in New Orleans was the ultimate luck in my life,” Ella Brennan told Pam Parseghian of Nation’s Restaurant News upon receiving that magazine's “Fine Dining Legend Award” in 2004. “It is just so damn much fun to live here. There are so many active people that are into music or writing. Now this sounds nuts, but it is like a little New York. People come here to take from the city. It is a fabulous city.”

Having owned and operated the 129-year-old landmark restaurant Commander’s Palace since 1969 and grown a family-based restaurant empire with 11 outposts, Brennan and her family are(?) easily among the city’s most active people.

Ella Brennan started in the restaurant business in 1943 at age 18, when her brother, Owen, bought a bar called the Old Absinthe House. “He needed help,” she told Restaurants & Institutions magazine. “He had me doing clerical jobs and running to the bank. It was in the middle of World War II and there weren’t too many choices...He wouldn't let me go into the bar. Ladies didn't back then. But I bought the liquor and did inventory. Then, Owen bought another restaurant, Vieux Carre, with my father. I was there a lot. It was terrible andI told him so. I knew good food because my mother was a great cook. He said, 'If you're so smart, then you run it.' We were strong-willed.”

That first taste of the business was all Brennan needed. “It suckered me in. It's theater.--two shows a day. It's barrels of work and fun. You work hard in the daytime, then [meet] all these interesting people at nighttime. There's a challenge everyday. You're always learning.”

It was Ella Brennan who gave Paul Prudhomme the reigns of the Commander's Palace kitchens in 1975, a post he held for five years. Prudhomme told Parseghian, “She built two of the greatest restaurants in the United States and certainly New Orleans: Brennan's and Commander's Palace.” Under Brennan's watch, those kitchens have been a breeding ground for great culinary talent: superstar chef Emeril Lagasse got his start behind the stoves at Commander's Palace, as did Emanuel “Eman” Loubier, who went on to open Dante's Kitchen, a New Orleans favorite, and the late Jamie Shannon, who won a James Beard Foundation Award for Best Chef: Southeast in 1999.

Brennan and Commander’s Palace have won other awards from the Beard Foundation, as well. Back in 1984 the Brennans were inducted into the Who’s Who of Food and Beverage in America. In 1993 they won our Outstanding Service award and in 1996 the restaurant took home the medallion for Outstanding Restaurant. This year, for her 60 years of passion and dedication to our industry, Ella Brennan will add the 2009 James Beard Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award to her collection.

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America’s Classics Awards

These awards are given to small, regional restaurants, watering holes, shacks, lunch counters, or eateries that have offered good, down-home food and unmatched hospitality for generations.

Breitbach's Country Dining

563 Balltown Rd., Sherrill, IA
Owner: Mike Breitbach

In business since 1852 and touted as Iowa’s oldest bar and restaurant, Breitbach’s Country Dining has been owned and operated by the same family for five generations. Love for Breitbach’s goes well beyond a hankering for the restaurant’s excellent fried chicken, bacon-wrapped pork chops, and mouth-watering pies. This adoration was put to the test on Christmas Eve 2007, when a fire destroyed the eatery’s original building. Faced with the daunting task of starting over, the community rallied around the eatery and a slew of volunteers pitched in to rebuild the restaurant, doing so in a record 69 days. Unbelievably, less than six months later, the restaurant burnt to the ground again. Spirit unbroken, Breitbach’s is once again being rebuilt and will soon be serving its signature dishes to hungry regulars.

Totonno's

1524 Neptune Ave., Brooklyn, NY
Owner: Lawrence Ciminieri

A stone’s throw from the Cyclone, Totonno’s has been serving amazing Neapolitan-style pies for over 80 years. In 1924, one of New York’s first master pizzaiolas, Anthony “Totonno” Pero, left his job making pizzas at Lombardi’s to open a Coney Island pizzeria, and Totonno’s has been in his family ever since. Lawrence Ciminieri, the fourth generation now in charge, hasn’t strayed from the original recipe—each pizza is made with imported Italian San Marzano tomatoes, fresh, locally made mozzarella, yeast, flour, salt, and not much else. The last—and perhaps most important—component is the oven. Totonno’s original coal-fired oven creates a distinct and flavorful char on the crust that cult pizza lovers crave.

Mustache Bill's Diner

8th and Broadway, Barnegat Light, NJ
Owner: Bill Smith

These days, the food at diners is all too often of poor to middling quality. But not at Mustache Bill's. For over 35 years, owner Bill Smith has made everything on the diner’s menu from scratch—refusing to buy anything premade. It’s the homemade, straight from the heart cooking that makes Mustache Bill’s a must-stop destination on the Jersey Shore for both the fishing community regulars and the summertime beach-goers. From roasted-that-day turkey, ham, and beef to legendary pancakes and hand-cut home fries, it is no surprise that the crowds are huge: Mustache Bill's does 1,000 covers on a typical summer day, and it's only open 6:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. (Photo Credit: Gemini Brittany Pledger).

Yank Sing

101 Spear St, San Francisco
Owner: Vera Chan-Waller

Henry Chan has made it his life’s work to “uplift dim sum.” At San Francisco’s Yank Sing he has been serving dim sum classics like har gow and Shanghai dumplings alongside newer innovations like phoenix shrimp and cabbage salad with honeyed walnuts to thousands of diners every day for over half a century. His mother opened Yank Sing’s original Chinatown location in 1958. Even as a young man, Henry knew what the restaurant needed to do in order to set itself apart, expand its appeal, and reach a larger audience. By moving to the financial district and creating a more upscale atmosphere, Yank Sing became a favorite among San Francisco’s movers and shakers and a must-visit restaurant for tourists. Now a third generation is at the restaurant’s helm. Henry’s daughter Vera Chan-Waller is in the kitchen every day, ensuring that Yank Sing maintains its high standards and traditions—and keeps growing along with the Bay Area’s vibrant food culture.

Arnold's Country Kitchen

605 8th Ave. S, Nashville
Owners: Jack and Rose Arnold

Meat-and-threes—that’s what Arnold’s Country Kitchen is all about. Owner Jack Arnold, who favors overalls and bow ties, has been in charge with his wife, Rose, since 1983, and it’s his fried green tomatoes, creamy banana pudding, and made-to-order cornbread that keep Nashville residents coming back for more. Patrons love his succulent roast beef and crisp fried chicken, too, but many are just as likely to forgo the meat and go all sides—that’s how good Jack’s freshly made dishes are. Frequented by country stars, downtown business-types, and ordinary folks looking for an affordable and delicious meal, Arnold’s is among the best Southern plate lunch spots in the nation.