James Beard Foundation Award Nominees Announced

Posted on March 28, 2002

Nominees were announced for The 2002 James Beard Foundation Awards, the nation's top honors for culinary professionals, at a reception held at the historic James Beard House in Greenwich Village, featuring 1997 James Beard Foundation Award recipient Chef Norman Van Aken, Norman's, Coral Gables, FL. The reception was hosted by Gallo of Sonoma. A list of all the nominees can be found on the StarChefs.com website.

Len Pickell, president of The James Beard Foundation, named nominees in 53 categories for cookbooks, restaurants and chefs, restaurant design, journalism and broadcast media. Winners will be announced at The 12th Annual James Beard Foundation Awards Gala Monday, May 6 at the New York Marriott Marquis. Lisa Ling, co-host of ABC's The View, will host the presentation, which will be attended by more than 1600 food and beverage industry leaders.

Mr. Pickell named George Lang, owner of the New York's famed Caf� des Artistes, the recipient of The 2002 James Beard Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award for his outstanding achievements in and contributions to the Food industry. "Just as the spices we will celebrate this year, many of which originated in distant lands, made their way onto American shores and have had a significant impact on our culinary growth and tastes, so did George Lang travel from the distant land of Hungary to become one of the most prominent and important figures in our industry," said James Beard Foundation President Len Pickell.

Five inductees were announced for this year's D'Artagnan Cervena Who's Who of Food and Beverage in America, which honors food and beverage professionals for their significant and lasting achievements in the food and beverage industry. They are: Tom Colicchio, Chef/Owner, Gramercy Tavern, Craft and Craft Bar restaurants, all in New York City; Alain Ducasse, Chef/Owner, Alain Ducasse at The Essex House, New York City, Alain Ducasse, Paris and Le Louis XV, Monaco; Nobuyuki "Nobu" Matsuhisa, Chef/Owner, Matsuhisa, Beverly Hills and Aspen and Nobu restaurants in New York City, Las Vegas, London Paris and Tokyo; Sara Moulton, Executive Chef, Gourmet magazine and host of Food Network's Cooking Live; and Frank J. Prial, Wine Columnist, The New York Times.

Established in 1990, The James Beard Foundation Awards recognize cookbook authors, restaurants, chefs, food and beverage journalists, broadcasters, and restaurant and graphic designers. More than 60 awards will be presented. To select the winners, independent volunteer panels of more than 500 food and beverage professionals from around the country vote on specific award categories. The accounting firm, Ernst & Young, tabulates ballots. Winners' identities remain confidential until the awards ceremonies. Winners receive a bronze medallion engraved with the image of James Beard.

The Journalism Awards will be presented Friday, May 3 at a dinner at the Grand Hyatt New York. Twelve awards will be presented to journalists for excellence in writing on food and beverage topics. The James Beard Foundation, based in New York City, is dedicated to furthering the practice and appreciation of the culinary arts through scholarships, special events, educational programs, a culinary library and The James Beard Foundation Awards.