Grant Achatz wins top Beard honor, Outstanding Chef; Nahabedian grabs Best Chef: Great Lakes Updated by Judy Hevrdejs at 1:45 p.m. CDT Alinea's Grant Achatz took top chef honors at the James Beard Awards in New York Sunday evening, winning the Outstanding Chef Award. The award salutes "a working chef in America whose career has set national industry standards and who has served as an inspiration to other food professionals."
Achatz (right), who called The Stew moments after receiving the award, told us “What we’re doing is new. It’s catching on across the country [and] I hope it is an inspiration and making an impact. If people cast their vote for that, what more can I ask for."
Alinea (1723 N. Halsted St.; 312-867-0110), his much celebrated, 4-star restaurant, has drawn raves the world over for its cutting-edge fare, a mix of molecular gastronomy and a finely-tuned, yet playful sense of flavor. The award comes barely 6 months after Achatz, who battled oral cancer in 2007, received an OK from his doctors to use the word remission.
Joining Achatz in the winners circle at the Beard awards was Naha's Carrie Nahabedian who grabbed Best Chef Great Lakes honors, wearing her beribboned beret despite the steamy temperatures in the Big Apple, according to Tribune National Correspondent Stevenson Swanson who covered the awards.
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