The James Beard Awards are easily the most prestigious in the culinary industry, and even being nominated for one is a huge honor.
They give out dozens of awards, but the most coveted are the Most Outstanding Restaurant and Most Outstanding Chef categories.
This year's restaurant nominees include institutions in New York, Chicago, San Francisco, and somewhat surprisingly, Birmingham, AL. The nominees are below.
Most Outstanding Restaurant:
Hearth, NYC
Highlands Bar and Grill, Birmingham, AL
The Slanted Door, San Francisco
Spiaggia, Chicago
wd~50, NYC
Most Outstanding Chef:
Michael Anthony, Gramercy Tavern, NYC
Sean Brock, McCrady's, Charleston, SC
Suzanne Goin, Lucques, Los Angeles
David Kinch, Manresa, Los Gatos, CA
Nancy Silverton, Pizzeria Mozza, Los Angeles
Marc Vetri, Vetri, Philadelphia