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James Beard Midwest

moosnsqrl

By moosnsqrl
in The Heartland: Dining

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moosnsqrl

moosnsqrl

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Kudos to Chef Celina Tio, of The American Restaurant, for being named the James Beard Foundation's Best Chef of the Midwest.

Judy Jones aka "moosnsqrl"

Sharing food with another human being is an intimate act that should not be indulged in lightly.

M.F.K. Fisher

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JWest

JWest

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Kudos to Chef Celina Tio, of The American Restaurant, for being named the James Beard Foundation's Best Chef of the Midwest.

I don't know how long it's been but I just noticed that The American Restaurant has developed a new website. Congrats to Chef Tio for an amazing achievement as well.

"cuisine is the greatest form of art to touch a human's instinct" - chairman kaga

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ronnie_suburban

ronnie_suburban

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Wow,  a Best Chef Midwest who's not in Chicago.

Didn't know they were allowed to do that.

Chicago was split off into the new 'Great Lakes' category this year, probably to give chefs in other cities a chance.

But what really intrigues me about this winner is that with all the KC threads running here, I don't think I've ever heard a peep about this place. What's up with that? Have any of you KC folks eaten at this place? Is the chef actually deserving of the award?

=R=

"Hey, hey, careful man! There's a beverage here!" --The Dude, The Big Lebowski

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ronnie_suburban 'at' yahoo.com

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edsel

edsel

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Posted (edited)
Wow,  a Best Chef Midwest who's not in Chicago.

Didn't know they were allowed to do that.

Chicago was split off into the new 'Great Lakes' category this year, probably to give chefs in other cities a chance.

That's great for the folks in KC and Saint Louis! :raz:

There's been some grumbling here in Cleveland about our guys still having to go up against the likes of Grant Achatz. Chicago is arguably the culinary hot spot of North America. Ann Arbor and Cleveland are in the neighborhood, which I guess is a good thing. :laugh:

EDIT: Here's the Best Chef Great Lakes award category. Some mighty fine company, to be sure.

p.s. this was post # 666 for me. No significance there, I assure you.

Edited by edsel (log)

My Photo Sets (mostly food!) :: Heartland Gathering Photos

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moosnsqrl

moosnsqrl

Posted
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Wow,  a Best Chef Midwest who's not in Chicago.

Didn't know they were allowed to do that.

Chicago was split off into the new 'Great Lakes' category this year, probably to give chefs in other cities a chance.

But what really intrigues me about this winner is that with all the KC threads running here, I don't think I've ever heard a peep about this place. What's up with that? Have any of you KC folks eaten at this place? Is the chef actually deserving of the award?

=R=

The American Restaurant has been something of an institution in KC since it's inception. Although the design is somewhat dated now (in spite of a facelift a few years ago), it is a 'jewel box' of a dining room with a great view of the city (such as it is) and (if I'm not mistaken) James Beard consulted on the design. It is part of a complex that includes Crown Center (retail, theaters, Westin Hotel), Hall's Department Store, etc, in midtown and is the work of the Hall family of Hallmark cards fame. Bradley Ogden was (IIRC) the first chef there; Michael Smith and Debbie Gold won Beard awards as co-chefs there before opening 40 Sardines. They were responsible for initiating an annual JB Dinner there that continues to this day, to raise money for the Foundation.

Chef Tio replaced Chefs Smith and Gold a few years ago. She came from the Disney restaurants in Orlando. I haven't eaten there enough times to give a fair assessment. Local reviewers have been less enthusiastic about the place than in the past. I can't find a Star review; KC Magazine reviewed it last December.

Judy Jones aka "moosnsqrl"

Sharing food with another human being is an intimate act that should not be indulged in lightly.

M.F.K. Fisher

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nsxtasy

nsxtasy

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Wow, I can't believe they put Milwaukee in the Midwest category rather than the Great Lakes category where Chicago is. That makes it obvious they're bending over backwards to make the former the "every place except Chicago category" as much as possible. (Downtown Milwaukee is only 90 miles from downtown Chicago, they share suburbs halfway in between, and quite a few folks in either city dine in the other from time to time.)

I don't mean any slight against the nice folks in Milwaukee. They have a nice restaurant scene there (I see Adam Siegel was nominated, and I haven't yet been back to Sanford since Sandy has taken hands-on control again, but I can only believe it's as wonderful as ever). As great as we have it here in Chicago, it's nice to see more and more outstanding places opening and developing in cities all over the Midwest/Great Lakes region.

Congratulations to all the winners and nominees in all categories!

Edited by nsxtasy (log)
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