FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Melanie Young, Awards Director 212-620-7027, ext. 303/cell: 917-699-4818
David Orchard, Awards Media Relations Manager 212-620-7027 ext. 306/cell: 917-929-4132
Website address: www.jamesbeard.org

New York, May 4, 1998 - Winners were announced this evening for the Eighth Annual James Beard Foundation Awards, the nation's highest honors for culinary professionals. The awards ceremony, held at the New York Marriott Marquis, was attended by more than 1700 culinary industry leaders. Following the ceremony, guests were treated to a lavish reception themed "Flavors of the Far East," which featured 33 Asian or Asian-inspired chefs.

Award recipients were presented with a bronze medallion etched with the image of James Beard, the late chef, cookbook author, writer and teacher in whose memory The James Beard Foundation Awards were established in 1990. Award results and highlights can be found on www.jamesbeard.org.

"The James Beard Foundation Awards are significant to all culinary professionals because you are nominated and selected by your peers in the industry. To win a James Beard Foundation Award is to receive the ultimate recognition by one's colleagues," said Len Pickell, president of The James Beard Foundation, a not-for-profit organization based in New York City that supports and promotes the practice and appreciation of the culinary arts, both nationally and internationally. More than 300 industry professionals participate in the voting process. Ballot tabulation is handled by Deloitte & Touche LLP.

HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE 68 AWARDS PRESENTED INCLUDE:
Cookbook author and educator Madeleine Kamman received The James Beard Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award. In addition, Ms. Kamman's cookbook, The New Making of a Cook: The Art, Techniques and Science of Good Cooking (William Morrow) was named KitchenAid Cookbook of the Year.

Chef Rick Bayless of Chicago's Frontera Grill and Topolobampo was named James Beard Foundation Humanitarian of the Year. Bayless is a founding member and chairman of the "Chefs Collaborative 2000", a national organization that promotes sustainable agriculture through educational programs, and he is chef-instructor for Share Our Strength's Kids Up Front program. Bayless is considered by many to be a culinary ambassador between Mexico and the U.S., and he serves as a padrino ("godfather") for the Mexican Fine Arts Museum in Chicago, the nation's largest Mexican museum.

KITCHENAID COOKBOOK AWARDS
Publisher William Morrow & Co. scored the highest number of honors - four awards out of 15 categories, including: The New Making of a Cook: The Art, Techniques and Science of Good Cooking by Madeleine Kamman (KitchenAid Cookbook of the Year and Best General Category), Cookwise: The Hows & Whys of Successful Cooking by Shirley O. Corriher (Best Food Reference and Technique) and The Splendid Grain by Rebecca Wood (Best Single Subject).

Maida Heatter's Book of Great Desserts by Maida Heatter was inducted into the KitchenAid Cookbook Hall of Fame - honoring cookbooks in publication for more than a decade that have made a significant contribution to the literature of food.

RESTAURANT AWARDS
Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten took three awards for: Best New Restaurant (Jean Georges), Farberware Millennium Cookware Outstanding Chef (tied with Wolfgang Puck of Spago Beverly Hills) and Who's Who of Food and Beverage in America.

New York's Le Bernardin was named Perrier Outstanding Restaurant - honoring a restaurant in operation at least 10 years that serves as a national standard-bearer of excellence. Eric Ripert, executive chef at Le Bernardin, was named American Express Best Chef New York City. Keith Luce of Spruce restaurant in Chicago was named Perrier-Jouët Rising Star Chef of the Year. The Café de Colombia Outstanding Pastry Chef Award went to Stephen Durfee of The French Laundry in Yountville, CA. The award for Outstanding Service in a restaurant went to The Four Seasons, New York City. The Hudson Valley Foie Gras Outstanding Wine Service Award was presented to the Inn at Little Washington in Washington, VA, and the award for Hudson Valley Foie Gras Outstanding Wine and Spirits Professional went to Robert Parker, Jr., publisher of The Wine Advocate.

The James Beard Foundation introduced a new award category, "America's Regional Classics", presented to timeless, grassroots restaurants that serve memorable food and are strongly imbedded in the fabric of their communities. These restaurants range from kosher delis to diners, from seafood houses to communal dining halls - places that the late James Beard would have truly enjoyed, according to Restaurant Committee Chair William Rice. The eight 1998 recipients were: Durgin Park in Boston; Second Avenue Deli in New York City; Doris & Ed's in Highlands, NJ; original Stroud's in Kansas City, MO; Joe's Stone Crab in Miami Beach; Joe T. Garcia's in Ft. Worth, TX; Tadich Grill in San Francisco and Emmett Watson's Oyster Bar in Seattle.

VIKING RANGE ELECTRONIC MEDIA AWARDS
Six awards were handed out for excellence in food and beverage broadcasting. National awards went to ABC's "Good Morning America" (Viking Range Best TV Food Journalism), CBS' "Martha Stewart Living" (Viking Range Best National Cooking Segment) and MPT's "Pierre Franey's Cooking in Europe" (Viking Range Best TV Cooking Program). The Viking Range Best National Radio Show on Food went to "The Splendid Table" hosted by Lynne Rossetto Kasper.

INTERIOR DESIGN RESTAURANT DESIGN AWARDS
Toronto design firm Yabu Pushelberg received the Interior Design Best Restaurant Design Award for Monsoon, also located in Toronto. Napa Valley's French Laundry received the medallion for Interior Design Best Restaurant Graphics. Both Award recipients will be featured in the June issue of Interior Design magazine.

JOURNALISM AWARDS
At a separate awards dinner held at The Essex House on May 1, fourteen James Beard Journalism Awards were presented. Alan Richman, GQ, received his sixth consecutive award medallion for Magazine Restaurant Review or Critique. Publications garnering several medallions included: The Washington Post (three awards), Gourmet magazine (two awards) and Saveur magazine (two awards). The Journalism Awards receive no sponsorship and are solely funded by the James Beard Foundation.

The Food Network will air a one-hour special on The James Beard Foundation Awards on Tuesday, May 5 at 5:30 p.m. E.S.T. and again at 1 a.m. The show will be rebroadcast on May 15 at 10 p.m. and May 16 at 2 p.m.

Entry forms for the 1998 James Beard Foundation Awards will be available in October. To request an entry form, send a self-addressed, 32-cent stamped envelope to: The James Beard Awards, 6 West 18 Street, New York, NY 10011, or you can fax requests to 212-627-1064. For more information on The James Beard Foundation, call (800) 36-BEARD or 212-627-2308.

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