New York Wins Big at Bon Appetit Awards

[Food Network Fan]

New York Wins Big at Bon Appetit Awards


This month's Bon Appetit features this year's winners of the Bon Appetit awards, which honor leaders in the culinary field. The intimate awards ceremony took place at Del Posto earlier this week, where current and prior winners dined on a seasonal Italian tasting menu created specifically for the occasion. The awards presentations were held between courses, hosted by Ted Allen, who did his best to entertain the crowd.
New York culinary personalities made a strong showing among the award-winners -- chef Michael Psilakis earned Chef of the Year, Babbo's Gina DePalma was named best Pastry Chef, and Bobby Flay won best Cooking Teacher. As the winners accepted their statuettes, they gave acceptance speeches, most of which acknowledged the role that Bon Appetit's editor-in-chief, Barbara Fairchild, had played in helping them achieve their success.

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[Pluff Mudder]

I see Anson Mills from outside Columbia, SC won this year. Love their products!

Food Artisan: Anson Mills

Anson Mills founder Glenn Roberts is on a one-man mission to preserve some of the country's lost grains. Roberts first started working with heirloom seeds when he was asked to create period dinners at restored inns. Unable to find the right ingredients, he set out in search of the rice, corn, and buckwheat he read about in historic literature and cookbooks. His sleuthing took him to the fields of Carolina bootleggers, and soon he was planting the precious seeds on his 110-acre farm. The crop rotation is done the old-fashioned way, and grains (hand-milled in small batches on the day they're ordered) are mailed out the same day. "We grow limited amounts of extraordinary stuff for people who are incredibly careful about the integrity of their ingredients," says Roberts, who includes chefs Charlie Trotter and David Chang on his short list of worthy recipients. The lasting fruits of his hard labor? Working with others who are just as passionate about food, and grits good enough to stand the test of time

The 2008 Bon Appétit Awards: In the Magazine : bonappetit.com