The James Beard Foundation has released the first round of restaurant and chef award semi-finalists. Congratulations to chefs Jean Robert de Cavel of Jean-Robert's Table and Anne Kearney of Rue Dumaine, both nominated for Best Chef in the Great Lakes regional category. Semifinalists will be narrowed down to finalists in each category on March 19th, the same day that the nominees for books, journalism, broadcast media, and design awards are announced. Winners in those categories are announced May 4th; winners of the Chef and Restaurant categories will be announced at the 2012 James Beard Foundation Awards on Monday May 7th.

"The James Beard Foundation Awards were established by the James Beard Foundation in 1990 through the merging of the two most prominent culinary awards in North America at the time: The R.T. French Tastemaker Cookbook Awards and Cook’s Magazine and Restaurant Business’s Who's Who of Food and Beverage in America. ...

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NICHOLSON'S RESTAURANT                                                                                    

Chef Mark Bodenstein, who came on board as Executive Chef of Nicholson’s this past November, introduces his new lunch and dinner menus Monday, February 20th. The 31 yr. old Bodenstein trained in kitchens worldwide as well as with award-winning chef Kathy Cary at Lilly’s (the Louisville restaurant with the long-standing tradition of building its menu from local products) before generating buzz when he opened NuVo (Newport) in 2008. He subsequently moved to take the helm of Chalk Food + Wine where he introduced area diners to some killer duck fat fries. Those killer fries proudly take first position on the new menu along with housemade pickles, a charcuterie board, deviled eggs with foie gras and candied ...

Congratulations to Chef Owen Maass of Cumin who swept the Taste of Elegance chef competition on February 7^th in Columbus, an annual event  sponsored by the Ohio Pork Council. Maass won both the People’s Choice award as well as the top award of Chef Par Excellence. 

Each chef was required to use pork in three-course tastings for four judges and 200-plus guests. Maass – known for his creative play and quirky sense of humor - built his menu from a theme around the progression of a pig’s life, with courses representing Childhood, Adolescence, and Death. His menu:

Childhood
Milk braised baby pig tails with local arugula, watercress, buttermilk vinaigrette, and shaved bread.

Adolescence
52-hour sous vide pork neck with blood sausage, savory custard, farrow sauté, and sorrel.

Death
Apple caramel glazed pork belly with smoke bacon ice cream, bacon fat peanut butter mousse, apple crisp, malted barley sponge, and ...