Each year, it brings us such joy to see our alumni and Deans of the International Culinary Center recognized for excellence in their field. With the recent announcement of the 2019 semifinalists for the James Beard Awards, we’d like to congratulate the following ICC alumni [and Dean!] on their nominations. This year, the number of ICC affiliates that made the short list was a staggering 26 semifinalists! We’re so proud to see these talents acknowledged for their hard work and dedication to their craft.
Some of the highlights from this year’s announcement include the recognition of newcomers like Zoe Kanan, Head Baker of Simon & the Whale for Outstanding Pastry Chef, and Rikki Giambruno, Owner & Executive Chef of Hyacinth for Rising Star Chef of the Year. Three of this year’s Best New Restaurant semifinalists are led by our graduates both in and out of the kitchen — David Chang (Chef/Owner of Majordomo in LA), Joshua Skenes (Chef/Owner of Angler in SF) and Jhonel Faelnar (Wine Director of Atomix in NYC).
Follow us throughout awards season for updates on the James Beard Foundation Media Awards semifinalists, finalists and award winners!
[UPDATE] With the announcement of the 2019 James Beard Award Book & Media nominees, ICC alumni and dean, David Kinch, have received a total of 34 nominations combined! Congratulations to the 15 alumni and our dean David Kinch who made it on the short list of finalists in their respective categories for a total of 20 finalist nominations! The winners will be announced later this spring, stay tuned.
2019 JAMES BEARD AWARD SEMIFINALISTS & FINALISTS [LIST OF ICC ALUMNI & DEAN]
Orange indicates selection as a finalist in the respective category.
2019 James Beard Foundation Restaurant & Chef Awards
Best New Restaurant:
Angler, San Francisco, CA [Joshua Skenes, Chef/Owner of Saison, Culinary Arts ’01]
Atomix, New York, NY [Jhonel Faelnar, Wine Director of Atomix, Intensive Sommelier Training ’13]
Majordomo, Los Angeles, CA [David Chang, Owner of Majordomo, Culinary Arts ’01]
Marrow, Detroit, MI [Sarah Welch, Partner and Executive Chef of Marrow, Culinary Arts ’10]
Outstanding Baker:
Avery Ruzicka, Manresa Bread, Los Gatos, CA [Culinary Arts ’10 & Art of International Bread Baking ’11]
Outstanding Chef:
Ashley Christensen, Poole’s Diner, Raleigh, NC [Sous Vide Intensive ’12]
David Kinch, Manresa, Los Gatos, CA [ICC Dean]
Tory Miller, L’Etoile, Madison, WI [Culinary Arts ’00]
Marc Vetri, Vetri Cucina, Philadelphia, PA [Art of International Bread Baking ’98]
Outstanding Pastry Chef:
Zoe Kanan, Simon & the Whale, New York, NY [Pastry Arts ’10]
Whang Suh, Hen & Heifer, Guilford, CT [Pastry Arts ’09]
Outstanding Restaurant:
Balthazar, New York, NY [Rebecca Banks, Wine Director, Culinary Arts ’05]
O Ya, Boston, MA [Tim & Nancy Cushman, Owners of O Ya, Fundamentals of Wine ‘06]
Quince, San Francisco, CA [Aaron Babcock, Sommelier at Quince, Intensive Sommelier Training ’12]
Restaurant Alma, Minneapolis, MN [Alex Roberts, Chef/Owner of Restaurant Alma, Culinary Arts ’93]
Zahav, Philadelphia, PA [Steven Cook, Co-Owner of Zahav, Culinary Arts ’00]
Outstanding Service:
Saison, San Francisco, CA [Joshua Skenes, Chef/Owner of Saison, Culinary Arts ’01]
Frasca Food and Wine, Boulder, CO [Kelly Jeun, Co Executive Chef, Italian Culinary Experience ’07]
Rising Star Chef of the Year:
Rikki Giambruno, Hyacinth, St. Paul, MN [Culinary Arts ’12]
Best Chef: Great Lakes:
Kate Williams, Lady of the House, Detroit, MI [Culinary Arts ’07]
Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic:
Joey Baldino, Zeppoli, Collinswood, NJ [Culinary Arts ’02]
Best Chef: New York City:
Angie Mar, Beatrice Inn, New York, NY [Culinary Arts ’11]
Jeremiah Stone and Fabián von Hauske, Wildair, New York, NY [Culinary Arts, ’07 and Culinary Arts ’09 | Pastry Arts ’10, respectively]
Scott Tacinelli and Angie Rito, Don Angie, New York, NY [Culinary Arts ’08]
Best Chef: South:
Melissa Donahue, Sweet Melissa Cafe, Sanibel, FL [Culinary Arts ’01]
Best Chef: West:
Joshua Skenes, Saison, San Francisco, CA [Culinary Arts ’01]
2019 James Beard Foundation Book Awards
Beverage:
Apéritif: Cocktail Hour the French Way, Rebekah Peppler [Pastry Arts ’09] (Clarkson Potter)
Cocktail Codex, Alex Day, Nick Fauchald [Culinary Arts ’04], and David Kaplan (Ten Speed Press)
Restaurant and Professional:
Rich Table, Evan Rich and Sarah Rich [Culinary Arts ’01] (Chronicle Books)
2019 James Beard Foundation Broadcast Media Awards
Online Video, Fixed Location and/or Instructional
Mad Genius – Crispy Cheese Sticks; Waffled Okonomiyaki; and Puff Pastry, Justin Chapple [Culinary Arts ’09], Airs on: Food & Wine, YouTube and Facebook
Outstanding Reporting
Deep Dive and Food for Thought, 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics, David Chang [Culinary Arts ’01], Airs on: NBC, NBCSN
Television Program, on Location
Ugly Delicious – Fried Chicken, David Chang [Culinary Arts ’01], Airs on: Netflix
2019 James Beard Foundation Journalism Awards
Health and Wellness
“‘White People Food’ is Creating An Unattainable Picture of Health”, Kristen Aiken [Culinary Arts ’08], HuffPost
2019 James Beard Foundation Outstanding Restaurant Design Awards
75 Seats and Under
Firm: Studio Writers, Project: Atomix, [Jhonel Faelnar, Wine Director of Atomix, Intensive Sommelier Training ’13]
The 2019 James Beard Award Winners will be announced May 6, 2019. The 2019 Media Awards will be held on April 26, 2019. For the full list of 2019 James Beard Award Semifinalists, click here.
This blog post was originally published by the International Culinary Center (ICC), founded as The French Culinary Institute (FCI). In 2020, ICE and ICC came together on one strong and dynamic national platform at ICE's campuses in New York City and Los Angeles. Explore your culinary education where the legacy lives on.
