NEW YORK David Chang, chef of the casual restaurants Momofuku Noodle Bar and Momofuku Ssäm Bar, was named Rising Star Chef by the James Beard Foundation at its annual awards gala Monday night.
The award, given to chefs aged 30 or under, usually from a fine-dining restaurant, can be a career-maker. Previous recipients have included Boston-based celebrity chef Todd English and Marcus Samuelsson of Aquavit in New York.
L'Atelier de Jo‘l Robuchon in New York was named best new restaurant.
Other big winners were Michel Richard of Michel Richard Citronelle in Washington, D.C., who was named Outstanding Chef; Frontera Grill in Chicago, which was named Outstanding Restaurant; bi-coastal celebrity chef Thomas Keller, who won the Outstanding Restaurateur Award; and Michael Laiskonis of Le Bernardin in New York, who took the honor of Outstanding Pastry Chef.
Michel Richard Citronelle also took the award for Outstanding Wine Service. Tru in Chicago won the award for Outstanding Service.
Paul Draper of Ridge Vineyards in Cupertino, Calif., won for Outstanding Wine and Spirits Professional.
Design firm Lewis Tsurumaki Lewis Architects won the Outstanding Restaurant Design award for Xing Restaurant in New York. Baron and Baron was given the Outstanding Restaurant Graphics award for Buddakan, also in New York.
Two new regional chef awards were given this year as the former Midwest was split into two regions - the Midwest and the great Lakes - and the former Southeast was divided into the Southeast and the South.
In addition, Hawaii and Alaska were placed in the Pacific region with California instead of the Northwest where they were previously.
Traci Des Jardins of Jardinière in San Francisco won in the Pacific. Nobuo Fukuda of Sea Saw in Scottsdale, Ariz., won in the Southwest.
Celina Tio of The American Restaurant in Kansas City won for the Midwest, and Grant Achatz of Alinea in Chicago won for the Great Lakes region. Donald Link of Herbsaint in New Orleans won in the South and Scot Peacock of Watershed in Decatur, Ga., won in the Southeast.
The Mid-Atlantic award went to R.J. Cooper of Vidalia in Washington, D.C. Frank McClelland of Lespalier in Boston won in the Northeast. The award for best chef in New York City went to David Waltuck of Chanterelle.
