Outstanding Chef Nominations Come To Boise

If you are a fan of shows like Top Chef you have no doubt heard "he/she is a James Beard Award nominee." Or something to that effect.  Think of the James Beard Awards as the Oscars of restaurants and we have to say congratulations to some local nominees!  The James Beard Foundation just announced their 2015 nominees.

For Outstanding Baker here are the nominees:

Outstanding Baker

Evan Andres, Columbia City Bakery, Seattle
Leif Bjelland, Le Petit Outre, Missoula, MT
Joanne Chang, Flour Bakery + Cafe, Boston
Andre Chin and Amanda Eap, Artisan Boulanger Patissier, Philadelphia
Judy Contino, Bittersweet Pastry, Chicago
Cheryl and Griffith Day, Back in the Day Bakery, Savannah, GA
Abe Faber and Christy Timon, Clear Flour Bakery, Brookline, MA
Mark Furstenberg, Bread Furst, Washington, D.C.
Zachary Golper, Bien Cuit, Brooklyn, NY
Tim Healea, Little T American Baker, Portland, OR
Stephen Horton, Rustica Bakery, Minneapolis
Marie Jackson, The Flaky Tart, Atlantic Highlands, NJ
John Kraus, Patisserie 46, Minneapolis
Jim Lahey, Sullivan Street Bakery, NYC
Phoebe Lawless, Scratch Bakery, Durham, NC
Belinda Leong and Michel Suas, B. Patisserie, San Francisco
Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito, Baked, Brooklyn, NY
Cheryl Maffei and Jonathan Stevens, Hungry Ghost, Northampton, MA
Dave and Megan Miller, Baker Miller Bakery & Millhouse, Chicago
Lauren Mitterer, WildFlour Pastry, Charleston, SC
Alison Pray, Standard Baking Co., Portland, ME
Michael Runsvold, Acme Bakeshop, Boise, ID
Lionel Vatinet, La Farm Bakery, Cary, NC
Edmund and Kathleen Weber, Della Fattoria, Petaluma, CA
William Werner, Craftsman and Wolves, San Francisco

And for the Best Chef In The West:

Best Chef: Northwest

Andrew Brown, Jack Sprat, Girdwood, AK
Greg Denton and Gabrielle Quiñónez Denton, Ox, Portland, OR
Eric Donnelly, RockCreek, Seattle
Renee Erickson, The Whale Wins, Seattle
Kevin Gibson, Davenport, Portland, OR
Gregory Gourdet, Departure, Portland, OR
Jeremy Hansen, Santé, Spokane, WA
Sunny Jin, Jory Restaurant at the Allison Inn & Spa, Newberg, OR
Joe Kim, 5 Fusion and Sushi Bar, Bend, OR
Nathan Lockwood, Altura, Seattle
Garrett Melkonian, Mamnoon, Seattle
Trent Pierce, Roe, Portland, OR
Sarah Pliner, Aviary, Portland, OR
Ryan Roadhouse, Nodoguro, Portland, OR
Dustin Ronspies, Art of the Table, Seattle
Jason Stratton, Spinasse, Seattle
Blaine Wetzel, The Willows Inn on Lummi Island, Lummi Island, WA
Nathan Whitley, The Modern Hotel & Bar, Boise, ID
Justin Woodward, Castagna, Portland, OR
Rachel Yang and Seif Chirchi, Joule, Seattle

Can't wait to try some of their food!!!  Lots of fabulous NW chefs nominated.  To see the full list of nominees (and to see if you have had their food) check here.