‘Authentic Mexican’ chef wins Beard award
Published 9:00 pm Tuesday, May 8, 2007
NEW YORK – Rick Bayless, a chef credited with changing the profile of Mexican food in the United States, has received one of the top James Beard Foundation awards. His 20-year-old Chicago restaurant, Frontera Grill, has been named Outstanding Restaurant for 2007.
It was his third James Beard award, considered to be among the most important in the food world. Winners were selected by a committee of their peers, and announced at a gala dinner Monday night at Lincoln Center.
Bayless and his wife, Deann, opened Frontera Grill in 1987, the same year he wrote “Authentic Mexican: Regional Cooking From the Heart of Mexico.”
The restaurant was designed to highlight contemporary regional Mexican cooking, a contrast to the Tex-Mex style of nachos-and-tacos most Americans thought of as Mexican cooking at the time.
Other major winners:
Outstanding Restaurateur: Thomas Keller, The French Laundry, Yountville, Calif.
Best New Restaurant: L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon, Joel Robuchon, New York.
Rising Star of the Year: David Chang, Momofuku Noodle Bar, New York.
Cookbook of the Year: “The Lee Bros. Southern Cookbook,” Matt Lee and Ted Lee.
Named for the influential American chef, The James Beard Foundation promotes culinary excellence across the United States with awards, scholarships and dining events.
