Suburban chefs compete for culinary spotlight at Beard Awards
If you hoped to head into Chicago for dinner at one of the city's hottest restaurants this weekend, you might as well make other plans.
With the James Beard Foundation Awards slated for Monday, May 4, at the Lyric Opera House (its first time away from its home base in NYC), all manner of culinary elite and everyday food enthusiasts have booked Chicago's hottest tables.
Don't even think about getting a last-minute reservation at Parachute (nominated in the Best New Restaurant category) or squeezing into The Violet Hour (nominee for Outstanding Bar Program) for late-night cocktails. Likewise you'd be hard-pressed to get a seat at Outstanding Service nominee Topolobampo, the Boarding House where Rising Star Chef of the Year Tanya Baker cooks or Blackbird where Outstanding Pastry Chef nominee Dana Cree creates amazing pastries.
So what does the decision to hold the awards here — and the number of Windy City nominees — mean?
“It says Chicago's culinary scene is incredibly vibrant,” said chef Chris Koetke, vice president of culinary arts at Kendall College in Chicago. “It says the nation is recognizing that what's happing in Chicago is meaningful.”
While the spotlight is aimed at Chicago proper — with the notable exception of chef Paul Virant (nominee for Best Chef: Great Lakes Regions) whose Western Springs restaurant Vie was on the front lines of the farm-to-table movement — let's not forget there's a vibrant scene in the suburbs as well.
“Chicago is bigger than just simply the city,” Koetke acknowledges. “One of the big things about the James Beard Awards is not necessarily what's happening while everybody's here, but it's about the exposure to what's happening in Chicago, in Chicagoland, that's going to have people coming back to this city.
“There are great restaurants in downtown Chicago and there are great restaurants in the suburbs as well ... it gives people exposure to the fact that this is a strong culinary center in the U.S. and even, frankly, internationally.”
Let's take a closer look at Virant and a handful of other chefs who are doing great things in suburban kitchens.
Paul Virant
Vie, Western Springs; Perennial Virant, Chicago; Vistro, Hinsdale
Virant studied cooking at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park and New York, and he honed his skills with such Chicago culinary powerhouses as Charlie Trotter, Everest chef Jean Joho and Blackbird chef Paul Kahan. Virant ventured out on his own in 2004 with the opening of Vie in downtown Western Springs. Vistro in Hinsdale opened in 2014. Virant's cuisine reflects his Missouri upbringing and what he's learned along the way. And as an early adapter of the farm-to-table philosophy. he prepares seasonal and locally harvested ingredients using classic French techniques with stunning results. His pantries are stocked with home-canned vegetables, pickles, condiments and the like.
Chris Ayukawa
Ayukawa grew up in the Fox Valley and, after giving art school a try at Columbia College, he gave that up to study culinary arts at Elgin Community College. He was part of the opening team at Niche in 2006 under founding chef Jeremy Lycan, and it was during Lycan's tenure that the Niche crew was invited to present a dinner at the James Beard House in New York. Since returning to Niche in 2014, Ayukawa has continued the tradition of thoughtful, creative cuisine that rolls with the seasons, and his menu relies heavily on produce from the restaurant's nearby farm as well as local purveyors. His well-crafted plates are vibrant, bold and not the least pretentious.
Sean Patrick Curry
Hilton Chicago/Oak Brook Hills Resort, Oak Brook
Curry's culinary career has taken him from Philadelphia, his hometown, to Atlantic City, where he studied at the Atlantic City Culinary Academy, and then to Chambéry, France, for a culinary apprenticeship. He joined the Hilton in Oak Brook as executive chef for its banquet and catering services in 2014 and has brought modern farm cuisine to its restaurants, Windows and The Grille. “Buying local and sustainable products are very important to people,” he said in a 2012 Daily Herald interview. “Diners want to know we are buying good products from good people.” Earlier this spring, Curry intensified his farm-to-fork efforts by introducing more than eight bee colonies to the resort's 150-acre property. The bees will pollinate the plots where he grows vegetables, fruit and herbs and produces honey that will be used throughout his menus.
Rick Starr
Chef Rick Starr has come a long way since opening the first Ruby Tuesday in northern Lake County. Today he dons his whites behind the counter of his own place, Lake County's sustainably focused, globally influenced eatery. In the small dining room that feels you've been invited to dinner at a passionate chef's home, Starr puts forth an ever-changing menu of seasonal cuisine that is both familiar and extraordinary. “My only goal is to exceed your expectations,” he says.
2015 James Beard Foundation Awards Nominees
Ten Chicago chefs/restaurants are among the nominees in various categories for Monday's James Beard Foundation Awards. In addition, Richard Melman, founder of Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises, will receive the foundation's Lifetime Achievement Award.
<b>Best New Restaurant:</b> Parachute, chef Beverly Kim
<b>Outstanding Bar Program:</b> The Violet Hour
<b>Outstanding Service:</b> Topolobampo
<b>Rising Star Chef of the Year:</b> Tanya Baker, Boarding House
<b>Outstanding Pastry Chef:</b> Dana Cree, Blackbird
<b>Outstanding Restaurateur:</b> Donnie Madia, One Off Hospitality Group (Blackbird, Nico Osteria and others)
<b>Best Chef:</b> Great Lakes Regions: Curtis Duffy, Grace; Erling Wu-Bower, Nico Osteria; Paul Virant, Vie; Andrew Zimmerman, Sepia
For the complete list of nominees, head to <a href="http://www.jamesbeard.org/blog/complete-2015-jbf-award-nominees">jamesbeard.org</a>.