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| JBF Awards |
On Monday, Foobooz posted up this list of Philadelphia finalists for the James Beard Foundation Awards:
- Newspaper feature without recipes: Craig LaBan
- Outstanding Service: Vetri
- The Rising Star: Michael Solomonov
- Outstanding Restaurateur: Stephen Starr
- The Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic: Jose Garces
The field of semi-finalists is now cut down to 3 to 6 finalists in each category. Awards for media (like LaBan's newspaper feature without recipes) are handed out on May 3, while the "food Oscars" for nominated chefs and restaurateurs are awarded on May 4. You can view a complete list of the finalists here.
Meal Ticket caught up with a few of the finalists and got their take on getting sooo close to the big win.� We asked them all the same question: What is it like to be nominated for the top award in your field, and do you think you'll win?
Craig LaBan: It's a great honor. Competitions like that are kind of funny. They never matter unless you are nominated to be a finalist. These are great food writers from around the country.� It's nice to be recognized for the work we do every week.
Meal Ticket: Which story are you nominated for? [The Philadelphia Inquirer, "The Tender and the Tough"]
Craig LaBan: I wrote about John Bucci of John's Roast Pork, which focused on his pre-leukemia and bone marrow transplant. I hung out with him on his last night at his luncheonette, the last night before he closed up to get a bone marrow transplant. I've covered him as one of the great cheesesteak and pork sandwich places, and this was a unique opportunity to tell his story from the other side of the lunch counter, something I don't get to do often.� John's is a great restaurant, a real part of the city, and they are much beloved by those who knows them. It was an opportunity to remind people that food writing doesn't have to be just about food, but about the people who make food, too. I'm glad to say he's doing well. I have no idea what judges are thinking. When it falls in you favor, it's very exciting.
Michael Solomonov: Uhhhh. I don't know. Probably not gonna win. I'm really honored to be nominated. I'm proud of my team. Opening the restaurant [Zahav] was pretty nuts. Everyone worked really hard. Honestly, I am just really excited to be nominated. It's all I can ask for. I'd have to squeeze into a tuxedo, which would be weird. I'm in the company of great chefs, who are heroes of mine. Seeing the people who have inspired me to be a chef will be pretty cool.
Meal Ticket: Is this the first time you've been nominated?
Mike Solomonov: I was nominated a couple of times at Marigold. This is my first finalist, though.
Stephen Starr: I'm very honored and humbled to be nominated in this group.� Drew [Nieporent, Myriad Restaurant Group, NYC] I've known for years � he's an icon in New York. Richard Melman in Chicago is Lettuce Entertain You [Enterprises], and he's been around for 30 years. Keith McNally owns Balthazar, Lucky Strike, Pastis ... he's had more influence on the pop culture of restaurants in New York than anyone. I feel like I'm in the company of superstars.
Jose Garces: It's an honor to be nominated again. I'm hoping this is the year. This is my third nomination,� all in the same category. I don't know if I'm going to win. The committee can be kind of fickle. I'm unsure, hoping for the best and keeping an open mind.
Meal Ticket: Marc Vetri won Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic on his third nomination.
Jose Garces: Yeah, Marc won on his third nomination. He guaranteed I would win last year. I just talked to him and he said he guarantees nothing this time.
[Ed. Note: Jeff Benjamin returned Meal Ticket's call, and we missed it. At time of publication, we had not spoken to Jeff Benjamin or Marc Vetri at Vetri.� When we get in touch, we will update here.]
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