Kansas City Beard Noms

[moosnsqrl]

2009 James Beard Award Nominees from Kansas City:

Outstanding Chef - Michael Smith, Michael Smith Restaurant

Outstanding Chef Midwest - Colby Garrelts, bluestem

Outstanding Service - The American Restaurant

We're lucky to have all of you - keep up the good work!

[Aaron Deacon]

2009 James Beard Award Nominees from Kansas City:

Outstanding Chef - Michael Smith, Michael Smith Restaurant

Outstanding Chef Midwest - Colby Garrelts, bluestem

Outstanding Service - The American Restaurant

We're lucky to have all of you - keep up the good work!

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Are these actual nominees, or sort of, nominees to be nominees?

[ulterior epicure]

2009 James Beard Award Nominees from Kansas City:

Outstanding Chef - Michael Smith, Michael Smith Restaurant

Outstanding Chef Midwest - Colby Garrelts, bluestem

Outstanding Service - The American Restaurant

We're lucky to have all of you - keep up the good work!

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Are these actual nominees, or sort of, nominees to be nominees?

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These are semifinalists. From these, five will be chosen to move on to the finalist list. That list is supposed to be announced sometime in March.

[Aaron Deacon]

These are semifinalists.  From these, five will be chosen to move on to the finalist list.  That list is supposed to be announced sometime in March.

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This is sort of a new wrinkle though, right? Not to take any credit away from these fine chefs, but I don't recall ever seeing the list before the five finalists (which were always called the nominees, if memory serves) until last year, when a sort of informal, and lengthy, list of "potential nominees" was circulated.

I'm not sure if this is a deliberate or happenstance way of expanding those honored, but the list of "nominees" seems a bit of overkill. (One web site suggested this is mostly a way of the Beard Foundation "owning" information that was leaked last year. Seem a reasonable explanation.)

Any idea what the methodology is for selecting this list of semifinalists?

Ah, answered my own question, kind of:

Anyone can submit a chef or restaurant for consideration during the online open call for entries in the fall. (There is no entry fee.) Entries are tabulated by the independent accounting firm Lutz & Carr, and based on the results, the Restaurant and Chef Awards Committee produces a nominating ballot with up to 20 semifinalists in each category. This ballot is distributed online to more than 400 judges, who select the five official nominees in each category. The same judges then vote on these five nominees to choose the winners.

[ChefCAG]

These are semifinalists.  From these, five will be chosen to move on to the finalist list.  That list is supposed to be announced sometime in March.

←

This is sort of a new wrinkle though, right? Not to take any credit away from these fine chefs, but I don't recall ever seeing the list before the five finalists (which were always called the nominees, if memory serves) until last year, when a sort of informal, and lengthy, list of "potential nominees" was circulated.

I'm not sure if this is a deliberate or happenstance way of expanding those honored, but the list of "nominees" seems a bit of overkill. (One web site suggested this is mostly a way of the Beard Foundation "owning" information that was leaked last year. Seem a reasonable explanation.)

Any idea what the methodology is for selecting this list of semifinalists?

Ah, answered my own question, kind of:

Anyone can submit a chef or restaurant for consideration during the online open call for entries in the fall. (There is no entry fee.) Entries are tabulated by the independent accounting firm Lutz & Carr, and based on the results, the Restaurant and Chef Awards Committee produces a nominating ballot with up to 20 semifinalists in each category. This ballot is distributed online to more than 400 judges, who select the five official nominees in each category. The same judges then vote on these five nominees to choose the winners.

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Thank you guys for the nice words.....

Aaron, no one is supposed to see the semi 25 list. It has just leaked out the last few years. It's always been around.

Edited February 13, 2009 by ChefCAG (log)

[Aaron Deacon]

Thank you guys for the nice words.....

Aaron, no one is supposed to see the semi 25 list. It has just leaked out the last few years. It's always been around.

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Yeah, that's kind of what I mean...now it's showing up on mainstream blogs in what seems to me a misleading way, for example:

http://leisureblogs.chicagotribune.com/thestew/

February 13, 2009

Jean Joho, Paul Kahan, Rich Melman head list of James Beard nominees

Posted by Phil Vettel at 12:00 p.m. CT

[Edit: Or Omaha chef gets James Beard nod. Isn't that overstating the case just a little?]

Whatever. Good luck to you, Chef, in any case, hope you make the next 2 cuts!

Edited February 13, 2009 by Aaron Deacon (log)

[joiei]

Thank you guys for the nice words.....

Aaron, no one is supposed to see the semi 25 list. It has just leaked out the last few years. It's always been around.

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Yeah, that's kind of what I mean...now it's showing up on mainstream blogs in what seems to me a misleading way, for example:

http://leisureblogs.chicagotribune.com/thestew/

February 13, 2009

Jean Joho, Paul Kahan, Rich Melman head list of James Beard nominees

Posted by Phil Vettel at 12:00 p.m. CT

[Edit: Or Omaha chef gets James Beard nod. Isn't that overstating the case just a little?]

Whatever. Good luck to you, Chef, in any case, hope you make the next 2 cuts!

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I have eaten at the Flatiron and it was very good, but it wasn't a Bluestem. In that story the manager was freaking out about Valentines reservations the day before????

[Aaron Deacon]

I have eaten at the Flatiron and it was very good, but it wasn't a Bluestem.

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It's been at least 5 years since I've eaten at Flatiron, and even though I'd heard accolades back when...I didn't even think it was "very good." Doesn't necessarily reflect what it is currently, but I've never thought of it like bluestem.

(In other Omaha news, though, I heard a good report on the newly opened Boiler Room.)

[Aaron Deacon]

Now we can congratulate ChefCAG on another nomination:

http://www.jbfawards.com/nominees.html#restaurant

[moosnsqrl]

Now we can congratulate ChefCAG on another nomination:

http://www.jbfawards.com/nominees.html#restaurant

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Oh, OK. Congratulations, Chef. Yawn.

[joiei]

Congratulations Chef, keep up the good work.