The "long list" of James Beard Awards 2008 nominees have been announced and voting is underway. These aren't the final noms, but the JBF judges finalize five nominees in each category from these lists. One thing's for sure: The Mozzas were eligible this year, so watch out. Here are the full lists and some LA and SoCal highlights below.
Michael Cimarusti and Adrian Vasquez from Providence each get nods for Best Chef and Pastry Chef, respectively. Also for Best Chef, Sal Marino from Il Grano, Joe Miller from Joe's and Bar Pintxo, David Myers from Sona and Comme Ca, and Mirko Poderno at All' Angelo are all in the pool.
For Best New Restaurant, outshining the juggernaut that is Osteria Mozza might be tough for The Foundry on Melrose, but props to both for the nod.
Rising Stars, appropritately, include Matt Molina, who runs the stoves at the Mozzas, and Kris Morningstar at Blue Velvet.
Suzanne Goin and Lee Hefter are both nominated for Outstanding Chef, Campanile for Outstanding Restaurant, Sona for Outstanding Service, and for Outstanding Wine & Spirits Professional, Albert Trummer at Fraiche, even though he's not really at Fraiche any longer (just "consulting"), and Sang Yoon.
Also notable: In the OC, Florent Marneau gets a nod as Best Chef and his Marche Moderne for Best New Restaurant, and James Boyce at Studio for Outstanding Chef. In Vegas, Alessandro Stratta from Alex at the Wynn is nominated for Outstanding Chef.
· Priority Alert [Eater NY]
· Breaking: Beard Nominees Sent to Judges [Grub Street]
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