gourmet traveller restaurant awards 2022

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The winners of the Gourmet Traveller 2022 Restaurant Awards, revealed

“It may seem a little odd to be celebrating the Gourmet Traveller Restaurant Awards at a time when parts of the industry are just beginning to reopen. Sydney is just entering its third week of lifted restrictions; Melbourne, meanwhile, has only just emerged from its sixth lockdown, and a cumulative 262 days of restrictions.

“So what better time, in fact, to celebrate the joy of dining out and all those who make it so special. One of the most exciting things about this year’s awards and guide is how many new restaurants feature. Places that have not only managed to navigate the new and ever-changing landscape – but delivered exciting and exceptional experiences in the process. Without question, the past 18 months have challenged and changed the industry – but they have also sparked new depths of creativity and resilience. And that is most definitely worth celebrating.

“And now, the winners of the Gourmet Traveller 2022 Restaurant Awards, presented by Levantine Hill.”

— GT editor Joanna Hunkin

Words: Fiona Donnelly, Michael Harden, Joanna Hunkin, Tory Shepherd & Karlie Verkerk.

Want to read all about the GT Restaurant Award winners in print? Find it in our November issue, on sale now. Better yet, become a subscriber and receive a bonus copy of Stephanie Alexander’s latest cookbook, Home.

RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR: STATE WINNERS

This year, we singled out a winner from each state, which went on to become a finalist for our national Restaurant of the Year award.

ACT RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR:

PILOT, Canberra

NSW RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR:

SAINT PETER, Sydney

QLD RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR

ELSKA, Brisbane

SA RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR:

RESTAURANT BOTANIC, Adelaide

TAS RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR:

FICO, Hobart

VIC RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR:

TEDESCA OSTERIA, Red Hill

WA RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR:

MILLBROOK, Jarrahdale

And the winner is….

RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR

TEDESCA OSTERIA

Red Hill, Vic

Presented by Levantine Hill

Tedesca Osteria seemed to land on the Mornington Peninsula fully formed. From the day it swung open its impressive hand-tooled timber front door and fired up its sprawling bespoke hearth, the relaxed simplicity of the restaurant was so assured it was easy to forget this was a brand-new restaurant. It also masked the fact that Tedesca is doing something quietly radical: reimagining what a restaurant can be.

Chef and owner Brigitte Hafner has been shaping Tedesca in her head for years, driven by frustration at the limits placed on her in the tight confines of her former business, Gertrude Street Enoteca and by the idea that the existing punishing-hours restaurant model was no longer working for her.

“Tedesca sprung from something I’d been thinking about for a long time,” says Hafner. “It grew in my heart, from my thoughts, from conversations and how I like to cook. It is a deeply personal expression of what I perceive hospitality to be. I wanted it to be a response to nature, a farm restaurant surrounded by garden and art and wine, a place that’s beautiful to be in with a team that operates like family.”

Tedesca takes the traditional Italian osteria formula of five or so loosely prescribed courses made with local and seasonal ingredients and then attaches a looser new-world filter so it’s less about cuisine and more about ingredients. What it also adds is a sense of pace.

The restaurant only opens for one night and several lunches a week. With just one seating per service, a meal here stretches for hours and can include a stroll around the garden, a visit to the wine cellar or a chat with Hafner who works at a blackened timber bench in front of the gigantic hearth that’s in the dining room. The pitch-perfect, well-spaced design of the room (by Hafner’s architect husband Patrick Ness) adds to the calm and the charm, as does the service and the finely crafted wine list from James Broadway.

Tedesca Osteria is obviously a restaurant but it offers something more, and less. It’s sophisticated and elegant but also operates in a way that’s both humble and intensely personal. It could be a template for the shape of things to come.

Tedesca Osteria chef and owner Brigitte Hafner.

CHEF OF THE YEAR

DANIEL PUSKAS

Sixpenny, Sydney, NSW

Presented by PorkStar

Humble. Quietly confident. Fiercely independent. These are the words that surfaced time and time again when we asked chefs to describe Daniel Puskas, chef and owner of Sydney’s Sixpenny and the recipient of this year’s peer-voted Chef of the Year award.

Puskas, who has been working in the industry for more than 20 years and perfecting his craft at the lauded inner-west fine-diner for nearly 10, is not one to steal the limelight. Instead, he is the first to admit that it takes a village to run a restaurant – or in the time of coronavirus, a bakery. It’s this modest disposition, combined with sheer talent and determination, that truly sets Puskas apart.

“Dan is a talented young chef who knows what he wants and really strives to push the envelope of cuisine into the future,” says Peter Gilmore, executive chef at Quay.

“He [Dan] is not brash or braggy or cocky in any way,” adds James MacDonald, executive chef at Odd Culture Group (The Old Fitzroy Hotel, The Duke of Enmore). “He just quietly goes about his business and does what he wants to do but in a confident way.”

Sixpenny has not only been dishing up some of Sydney’s finest dining for the best part of a decade, but in more recent times pivoted to a successful bakery model that attracted long lines each weekend during lockdown. Puskas has tackled the challenges of the past 18 months with vigour and creativity, and has in turn helped pave the way for others.

“When we first went into lockdown last year Dan was so focused on keeping all of his staff employed so he switched to operating as a bakery almost instantly,” says Jason White, head chef at Firedoor. “It was really inspiring for others in the industry.”

Most impressive, though, is that Puskas is a strong believer in work-life balance. Something the industry has ignored for far too long.

“Although Sixpenny is at the top end of the scale, Dan is not somebody who demands that staff give over their entire lives to the restaurant,” says MacDonald. “The chefs who come out of Sixpenny all have nothing but nice things to say about the culture and vibe he’s created in the kitchen. He allows young chefs to really grow and learn from him.”

Puskas has created a recipe for success even in the most fickle of times. He strikes the perfect balance between mentor and leader, all while duly crediting the people who surround him. And, like fine dining itself, it’s those considered details that make all the difference.

Daniel Puskas, chef-owner of Sydney’s Sixpenny, and Gourmet Traveller ‘s 2022 Chef of the Year.

BEST NEW RESTAURANT

Melbourne, Vic

Presented by Sub-Zero Wolf

Andrew McConnell’s newest restaurant is a departure of sorts. The other diners in his Trader House group (Cumulus Inc,

Cutler & Co, Marion, Supernormal etc) have featured a deliberate edginess in both design and food that has led in-the-know diners to perfectly understand the meaning of “an Andrew McConnell restaurant”. With Gimlet he’s flipped the narrative and turned to the familiar.

It could well be a case of function following form. A sensational renovation has made the gorgeous corner space in the 1920s-era Cavendish House building in Melbourne’s CBD seem ready-made for a take on the big city restaurant in the mode of

The Wolseley or Balthazar. Taking those places as reference rather than model, Gimlet’s central bar, tiered seating, open kitchen, horseshoe booths and uniformed waiters slinging cocktails, caviar, strip steak and French fries bring a timeless quality and classic atmosphere that gives Gimlet the swagger and confidence of a veteran.

“The room is really special,” says McConnell. “There’s a sense of theatre and drama to it that’s fun and not too serious and I’ve noticed that the energy in the room builds as the night goes on. It comes from the customers, especially after a few cocktails, but it also comes from the staff. They love working in the space because it flows beautifully and the lighting makes everyone look glamorous.”

The packed houses (or the pandemic version of packed) that have been the norm since Gimlet opened seem to attest to the room’s pull. But Gimlet is the sum of many parts and the decision to model it as a cocktail bar adds flexibility to the equation so that cocktails and oysters are as legitimate an option as full feasting on a shareable serving of wood-grilled scampi and clams on saffron rice or an 800gm dry-aged T-bone. The enormously popular weekend late opening hours and supper menu also enhance its flexible bar credentials. Gimlet is new but it has an old soul. It’s a new classic.

The luxe dining room at Gimlet, GT ‘s Best New Restaurant for 2022.

Seeking Gourmet Traveller ‘s Top 80 Restaurants of Australia for 2022?

BEST NEW TALENT

JUNG EUN CHAE

Chae, Melbourne, Vic

Presented by Longines

A six-seat restaurant with a waiting list of 8000 is a clear sign of doing something right. A supply and demand issue might also be involved but anyone who’s eaten Jung Eun Chae’s food, prepared and served in an inner-Melbourne apartment, will understand that it’s worth the wait and the hype. The flavours of her cooking, so different to the more familiar Korean dishes in Melbourne, are reason in themselves to score a booking. But Chae also gifts us something extra: an exciting reminder that with many cuisines in Australia, we’ve only just scratched the surface.

Chae’s cooking is heavily influenced by her mother who’s from South Jeolla province in South Korea. It’s a region renowned for seafood, salt and fermentation and the dishes Chae is serving – heavily reliant on traditional Korean ways of fermenting and preserving condiments – echo the ‘making from scratch’ ethos she learned from her mum. The tofu, gochujang, doenjang and kimchi? All handmade by Chae. And the best is still to come.

The restaurant is temporarily closed ahead of a move from her Brunswick apartment to a house in Cockatoo in the Eastern Dandenong Ranges. The bigger space will not only increase Chae’s ability to ferment and preserve (including using the traditional onggi earthenware, which have mostly been out of the question because of space considerations) but will also mean she will be able conduct workshops in Korean preserving and fermenting at the house.

One aspect that won’t change is the six-seat limit. “People always ask me to increase the number of people but I always say no because I don’t want to compromise,” Chae says. “I like to focus on the cooking and offer a small group of people a quality dining service. My dream is what I am doing now – serving traditional Korean food to a small number of people and enjoying myself doing it. I want to do this as long as I am physically able – it’s a lifetime journey.”

It’s a dream to eat at Chae, too. Cockatoo is about to become Melbourne’s latest culinary pilgrimage.

Jung Eun Chae, winner of GT ‘s Best New Talent.

RESTAURANT PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR

SHARON ROMEO

Fino Vino, Adelaide and Fino Seppeltsfield, Seppeltsfield, SA

When the going gets tough, Sharon Romeo gets going. The co-owner of South Australia’s Fino Seppeltsfield and Fino Vino is a whirlwind of energy at the best of times. But the past 18 months have only dialled up that legendary vip and vim, as Romeo has worked the floor to keep her busy winery restaurant humming at the same time as trying to bed-in a new CBD venue.

Fino Seppeltsfield is both well established and well loved. But the city iteration, Fino Vino, opened just before Christmas in 2019 – the holiday season, when things are typically a little quiet in the city. Festival season kicked off in February, a period when everyone is out, but mostly at Adelaide Fringe venues. These are expected lulls. Just when things should have been ramping up, bushfires struck South Australia, causing chaos with supply chains and diminishing crowds – it didn’t feel like a time to celebrate. Then the pandemic arrived, forcing Romeo to close both venues.

“It’s heartbreaking when you don’t know when the light at the end of the tunnel is going to shine,” she says. But Romeo has deep reserves, fuelled by her love of hospitality, her passion for people, and her generous Italian spirit. “Head down, bum up,” she says, adding that she owed it to her staff to stay strong – despite her own struggles. “You can hide in the kitchen, but the front of house have to put on a brave face and pretend it’s all okay… I felt so much support. It was so beautiful, and that kept me going because I’m here for the customers, I love what I do, I’ve always loved it. Like my mum, it’s in my blood. Welcoming people and looking after them. It’s very satisfying.”

That satisfaction is more than mutual, as anyone who has experienced Romeo’s highly enthused, no-nonsense service will attest. She may love to play host but she is not one to pander. From her classic-leaning wine list to her quick-witted banter, Romeo does things on her terms.

And with joyful, bustling dining rooms day-in and day-out, they are terms her customers are happy to accept.

Sharon Romeo, GT ‘s Restaurant Personality of the Year.

BEST DESTINATION DINING

OAKS KITCHEN AND GARDEN

Oaks Beach, Qld

Balmy tropical breezes, appetising wafts of wood-smoke, and restful green-on-green views into a lush jungle of exotic, edible plants.

The best destination dining is nothing if not transportive – and taking a seat for the intimate, laid-back chef’s table at Oaks Kitchen and Garden will lift you as far from the high-street experience as it’s possible to be raised (that’s if you can still move when you’re feeling this de-stressed).

But first, you have to get here. You’ll find Oaks Kitchen and Garden in the Far North Queensland coastal hamlet of Oak Beach. It’s a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it stopover on the sweeping Great Barrier Reef Drive, 15 minutes drive from the marina town of Port Douglas.

Bookended by Coral Sea and Wet Tropics Rainforest, it’s the kind of idyll urban dwellers daydream about, particularly after hellish years like this one. Oaks founders, chef Ben Wallace (ex-Longrain, Melbourne) and wife Rachael Boon, a former front-of-house talent at Lee Ho Fook, fled the city early, back in 2017.

Initially, they imagined the sojourn would provide a breathing space. But bringing an overgrown hectare back to life acted as a catalyst for a new direction. Boon now spends her days making art, welcoming diners, and wrangling wandering chooks while tending to a permaculture garden. Wallace dreams up and delivers seven- to eight-course Thai-inspired dégustations, dished in a tin-roofed, open-air kitchen. Earlier this year the pair were joined by sous-chef Keelan Gallogly, a Rockpool alumnus and fellow Melbourne escapee.

Oak’s long lunches start with a stroll around Boon’s plot, a sprawl of companion-planted nourishment – plants ranging from scud chillies and Thai eggplants to tamarind trees, pandan leaves and well beyond.

“If it’s tropical or native and grows in the area then it makes sense to use it,” Wallace explains. “We’re gradually using more and more native ingredients – but just the bits that make sense and work with Asian food.”

Wattle seeds, for example, might be toasted and turned into a nutty crumb for a pandan-infused parfait, or sprinkled on papaya salad in place of roasted rice. Local green ants add a citric note to paperbark-wrapped fish, while pumpkin and wombok sit above the grill until they’re dark and smoky, ready to be slathered with curry sauce. Almost everything is cooked over fire, fuelled with local timbers – like black wattle and stringy bark.

As Australians rediscover the tropics, this unique experience offers the perfect opportunity to taste the region anew. It’s destination dining at its most relaxed and vibrant.

The open-air kitchen and dining area at Oaks Kitchen and Garden’s, the winner of GT ‘s Best Destination Dining award.

WINE BAR OF THE YEAR

Sydney, NSW

Presented by Waterford

The kids call it a glow up; the process by which getting older makes you more attractive. At nine years old, Monopole had become a veteran of Sydney’s fickle hospitality landscape. So the time had come to cast off its dark and brooding persona and step into a new lighter, brighter era. That move saw it relocate from Potts Point to Sydney’s CBD and embrace a quirky, colourful new aesthetic.

Chef and co-owner Brent Savage devised a snackable new menu, while Nick Hildebrandt, co-owner and wine guy, curated a fresh wine list of affordable French and Australian drops. Wines from the Jura feature extensively, which Hildebrandt explains are “like drinking Burgundy, but at half the price”.

To accompany the 500-plus bottle collection, Savage serves up elegant snacks (baby cucumbers topped with smoked sour cream and salmon roe; tiger prawn rolls with yuzu mayonnaise) and plates of modern European flavours made to share.

But it’s happy hour where Monopole truly shines, as the space mellows and unwinds with the setting sun. In warmer months, the bifold windows that enclose the room melt away to create an alfresco mood to marry with your Americano and snacks. In fact, with bottles of NV Louis Roederer Champagne served for just $88, Monopole may well be home to Sydney’s happiest hour.

The decision to focus on value was deliberate and borne of the current climate. As Hildebrandt explained at the time of opening, “We want to offer value. You can get a glass for $10 … But if you want a $40 glass of wine, you can have that as well.” Add to that relaxed yet polished service and an atmosphere that invites lingering and you’ll find this city spot monopolising your diary.

Sydney’s Monopole, GT ‘s Wine Bar of the Year.

Gourmet Traveller is Australia’s trusted authority on food, travel and luxury lifestyle, bringing the latest news and trends to life through quality journalism, enticing recipes and evocative photography. For more than 55 years, it has been inspiring and informing Australians with the best in cooking, dining, travelling and shopping. Our critics bring the expertise of years of critical eating, drinking and writing to the table. Plus, as the country’s leading title in the luxury sector, Gourmet Traveller works closely with Australia’s leaders in the travel and hospitality industries to give our readers exclusive access. The Gourmet Traveller legacy is one of trust, prestige and relevance.

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The finalists in the Gourmet Traveller 2022 Restaurant Awards

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Gourmet traveller announces the finalists in the 2022 restaurant awards.

The Gourmet Traveller team has uncovered the best restaurants around the country to bring you the finalists for the 2022 Gourmet Traveller Restaurant Awards in the October issue of Gourmet Traveller, on sale now.

Due to ongoing restrictions , The Gourmet Traveller Restaurant Award winners will be announced via a virtual announcement on October 24, with the awards’ dinner at Melbourne’s Gimlet postponed until early 2022, when a who’s who of the industry will gather to celebrate winners and champion the strength and resilience of the hospitality industry.

“The Gourmet Traveller Restaurant Awards have always been about celebrating the best in Australian dining and uncovering exciting new experiences for our readers to explore in the year ahead. It is testament to both the creativity and resilience of the industry that new venues have continued to open since March last year, offering new and exceptional experiences. Lockdowns may pause physical progress but, time has proven, they can spark even brighter, bolder plans,” says Gourmet Traveller editor, Joanna Hunkin.

Finalists have been announced in five hotly contested categories:  Best New Restaurant, Best Wine Bar, Best New Talent, Restaurant Personality of the Year and Best Destination Dining.

The coveted Restaurant of the Year award will be announced live on October 24, along with the peer-voted Chef of the Year , recognising a single chef for their contribution to Australian dining.

In addition to announcing the finalists, this month, Gourmet Traveller announces Outstanding Contribution to Hospitality recipient Amy Chanta . The chef and business woman was instrumental in shaping Sydney's Thai food scene, opening the first Chat Thai restaurant in 1989 on Liverpool Street in Darlinghurst. Gourmet Traveller’s October issue pays tribute to Amy who sadly passed away earlier this year. In tribute to Amy, the issue will showcase a selection of her signature recipes, as shared by her daughter Palisa Anderson.

The winners, along with Australia's Top 80 restaurants, will be profiled in a special Celebration Issue of  Gourmet Traveller , on sale Monday 25 October.

And the Finalists are...

Best New Restaurant

·       A’Mare, NSW

·       Aru, VIC

·       Aurora, SA

·       Bianca, QLD

·       Corella Bar & Restaurant, ACT

·       Elska, QLD

·       Gimlet, VIC

·       Ho Jiak Town Hall, NSW

·       Porcine, NSW

·       Van Bone, TAS

Best Wine Bar

·       Monopole, NSW

·       Mummucc, WA

·       Public Wine Shop, VIC

·       Sonny, TAS

·       Snackman, QLD

Best New Talent

·       Jung Eun Chae – CHAE, VIC

·       Nathan Dunnell – Elska, QLD

·       Rosheen Kaul - Etta Dining, VIC

·       Daiki Shigeta – Fleet/Roco Ramen, NSW

Restaurant Personality of the Year

·       Federica Andrisani & Oskar Rossi - Fico, TAS

·       Cam Fairbairn - Café Paci, NSW

·       Hannah Green - Etta Dining, VIC

·       Carlo Grossi - Grossi Florentino, VIC

·       Nick Hildebrandt - Monopole, NSW

·       Jason Lui - Flower Drum, VIC

·       T ania di Nicolo - Mummucc, WA

·       Sharon Romeo - Fino, SA

·       Tyron Simon – Bianca, Agnes, Same Same, Honto, QLD

Best Destination Dining

·       Oaks Kitchen and Garden, QLD

·       Hentley Farm, SA

·       Millbrook, WA

·       Provenance, VIC

·       Underbar, VIC

·       Stillwater, TAS

Gourmet Traveller reviewers arrive at restaurants unannounced and pay their own way. Each restaurant is judged on its overall dining experience, including its food and drink offering, as well as ambience, service and setting.

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Home » Gourmet Traveller Unveils Finalists For The 2022 Restaurant Awards

Gourmet Traveller Unveils Finalists For The 2022 Restaurant Awards

The Gourmet Traveller team has uncovered the best restaurants around the country to bring you the finalists for the 2022 Gourmet Traveller Restaurant Awards in the October issue of Gourmet Traveller, on sale today.

Due to ongoing restrictions , The Gourmet Traveller Restaurant Award winners will be announced via a virtual announcement on October 24, with the awards’ dinner at Melbourne’s Gimlet postponed until early 2022, when a who’s who of the industry will gather to celebrate winners and champion the strength and resilience of the hospitality industry.

“The Gourmet Traveller Restaurant Awards have always been about celebrating the best in Australian dining and uncovering exciting new experiences for our readers to explore in the year ahead. It is testament to both the creativity and resilience of the industry that new venues have continued to open since March last year, offering new and exceptional experiences. Lockdowns may pause physical progress but, time has proven, they can spark even brighter, bolder plans,” said Gourmet Traveller editor, Joanna Hunkin.

Finalists have been announced in five hotly contested categories:  Best New Restaurant, Best Wine Bar, Best New Talent, Restaurant Personality of the Year and Best Destination Dining.

The coveted Restaurant of the Year award will be announced live on October 24, along with the peer-voted Chef of the Year, recognising a single chef for their contribution to Australian dining.

In addition to announcing the finalists, this month, Gourmet Traveller has announced Outstanding Contribution to Hospitality recipient Amy Chanta . The chef and business woman was instrumental in shaping Sydney’s Thai food scene, opening the first Chat Thai restaurant in 1989 on Liverpool Street in Darlinghurst. Gourmet Traveller’s October issue pays tribute to Amy who sadly passed away earlier this year. In tribute to Amy, the issue will showcase a selection of her signature recipes, as shared by her daughter Palisa Anderson.

The winners, along with Australia’s Top 80 restaurants, will be profiled in a special Celebration Issue of  Gourmet Traveller , on sale Monday 25 October.

Gourmet Traveller reviewers arrive at restaurants unannounced and pay their own way. Each restaurant is judged on its overall dining experience, including its food and drink offering, as well as ambience, service and setting.

And the Finalists are…

Best New Restaurant

·      A’Mare, NSW

·      Aru, VIC

·      Aurora, SA

·      Bianca, QLD

·      Corella Bar & Restaurant, ACT

·      Elska, QLD

·      Gimlet, VIC

·      Ho Jiak Town Hall, NSW

·       Porcine, NSW

·      Van Bone, TAS

Best Wine Bar

·      Monopole, NSW

·      Mummucc, WA

·      Public Wine Shop, VIC

·      Sonny, TAS

·      Snackman, QLD

Best New Talent

·      Jung Eun Chae – CHAE, VIC

·      Nathan Dunnell – Elska, QLD

·      Rosheen Kaul – Etta Dining, VIC

·      Daiki Shigeta – Fleet/Roco Ramen, NSW

Restaurant Personality of the Year

·      Federica Andrisani & Oskar Rossi – Fico, TAS

·      Cam Fairbairn – Café Paci, NSW

·      Hannah G reen – Etta Dining, VIC

·      Carlo Grossi – Grossi Florentino, VIC

·      Nick Hildebrandt – Monopole, NSW

·      Jason Lui – Flower Drum, VIC

·      T ania di Nicolo – Mummucc, WA

·      Sharon Romeo – Fino, SA

·      Tyron Simon – Bianca, Agnes, Same Same, Honto, QLD

Best Destination Dining

·      Oaks Kitchen and Garden, QLD

·      Hentley Farm, SA

·      Millbrook, WA

·      Provenance, VIC

·      Underbar, VIC

·      Stillwater, TAS

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Gourmet traveller has released its 2022 restaurant awards finalists.

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Every year,   Gourmet Traveller Restaurant Awards celebrate the best in Australian dining. The awards recognise the best new restaurants, new talent and new restaurant personality in the past year.

This year, due to ongoing restrictions, the Gourmet Traveller Restaurant Award winners will be announced via a virtual event on October 24, with the awards dinner at Melbourne’s Gimlet postponed until early 2022, when a who’s who of the industry will gather to celebrate winners and champion the strength and resilience of the hospitality industry.

In the lead-up to the virtual ceremony, the magazine released a list of its finalists across five  hotly contested categories including Best New Restaurant, Best Wine Bar , Best New Talent, Restaurant Personality of the Year and Best Destination Dining , which supports the tourism sector.

The very best of The Latch delivered straight to your inbox.

The coveted Restaurant of the Year award will also be announced live on October 24, along with the peer-voted Chef of the Year, recognising a single chef for their contribution to Australian dining.

In addition to announcing the finalists, this month, Gourmet Traveller has named Amy Chanta the recipient of Outstanding Contribution to Hospitality. The chef and businesswoman was instrumental in shaping Sydney’s Thai food scene, opening the first Chat Thai restaurant on Liverpool Street in Darlinghurst in 1989.

Gourmet Traveller’s October issue will pay tribute to Chanta who sadly passed away earlier this year. In tribute to Chanta, the issue will showcase a selection of her signature recipes , as shared by her daughter Palisa Anderson.

Without further ado, the finalists (and dining spots to add to your must-visit list) are…

Best New Restaurant

• A’Mare, NSW
• Bianca, QLD
• Corella Bar & Restaurant, ACT
• Gimlet, VIC
• Ho Jiak Town Hall, NSW
• Porcine, NSW
• Van Bone, TAS

Best Wine Bar

• Monopole, NSW
• Mummucc, WA
• Public Wine Shop, VIC
• Snackman, QLD

Best New Talent

• Jung Eun Chae – CHAE, VIC
• Nathan Dunnell – Elska, QLD
• Rosheen Kaul – Etta Dining, VIC
• Daiki Shigeta – Fleet/Roco Ramen, NSW

Restaurant Personality of the Year

• Federica Andrisani & Oskar Rossi – Fico, TAS
• Cam Fairbairn – Café Paci, NSW
• Hannah Green – Etta Dining, VIC
• Carlo Grossi – Grossi Florentino, VIC
• Nick Hildebrandt – Monopole, NSW
• Jason Lui – Flower Drum, VIC
• Tania di Nicolo – Mummucc, WA
• Sharon Romeo – Fino, SA
• Tyron Simon, QLD

Best Destination Dining

• Oaks Kitchen and Garden, QLD
• Hentley Farm, SA
• Millbrook, WA
• Provenance, VIC
• Underbar, VIC
• Stillwater, TAS

The Gourmet Traveller Restaurant Awards are presented by Levantine Hill, with support from Visit Victoria, Longines, Waterford, Sub Zero & Wolf and PorkStar.

Read more stories from  The Latch  and subscribe to our  email newsletter .

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Everything you need to know about canberra. one destination., pilot named act’s best restaurant in gourmet traveller restaurant awards.

Posted on 24 October, 2021

Ainslie’s pilot has been named act’s best restaurant tonight in the gourmet traveller 2022 restaurant awards..

It’s been a meteoric rise for the small suburban restaurant that opened in September 2019 – just six months before the pandemic – and has weathered two lockdowns. But an innovative and ever-changing menu that pushes the boundaries has cemented Pilot a loyal following and landed it at the top of Australian Gourmet Traveller’s (AGT) prestigious list of state and territory winners.

  View this post on Instagram   A post shared by Pilot. (@pilotrestaurant)

The judges described Pilot as ‘confident, playful and polished’, adding that ‘A move to a blind, 10-course dégustation menu has only sharpened the focus of chef Malcolm Hanslow and his team, as they prepare each Goldilocks-sized portion with precision.’ They praised the harmonious work for the kitchen and floor staff that delivers, ‘a perfectly paced experience that never feels rushed – but will have you promptly out the door in two hours flat, even with relaxed banter between courses.’

This year, AGT singled out a winner from each state, which went on to become a finalist for the national Restaurant of the Year award. Tedesca Osteria in Red Hill, Victoria took out the coveted national award. Aubergine, Corella, RAKU and XO rounded out the ACT’s top five.

Grazing in Gundaroo was named amongst New South Wales’ (NSW) top 20 restaurants – the only one from regional NSW.

Shop 5/6 Wakefield Gardens, Ainslie | pilotrestaurant.com

Feature image: Ashley St George

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Winners of Gourmet Traveller Restaurant Awards announced

Gourmet Traveller unveiled the winning restaurants and culinary talent of its Gourmet Traveller 2023 Restaurant Awards last night at the hospitality industry’s event of the year.

Taking out the top gong for Restaurant of the Year for both its state and nation-wide, is South Australia’s Restaurant Botanic with chef Justin James accepting the award at the gala event held at Sydney’s Shell House.

Celebrated for its iconic location within Adelaide Botanic Garden, the restaurant is renowned for celebrating the beauty of nature and using the garden’s bounty to create a dining experience with a unique sense of place.

The star-studded hospitality guest list included the likes of top chefs Neil Perry, Shannon Martinez, Ben Shewry, Brigitte Haffner, and Andrew McConnell. Perry’s Double Bay restaurant Margaret was named both Best New Restaurant and the NSW state winner of Restaurant of the Year.

Tasmania claimed Best Destination Dining for Van Bone in Marion Bay, while Hobart’s Fico was named the state winner.

Best New Talent went to the creative duo behind Willunga wine bar Muni – Mug Chen and Chia Wu – in South Australia.

From Victoria, Thi Le was voted Chef of the Year in the night’s only peer-voted category, while Shannon Martinez was named Restaurant Personality of Year. Tedesca Osteria was named the state winner for the second year in a row.

Gold Coast wine bar Paloma was singled out as the Wine Bar of the Year, while Essa was awarded the state prize for Queensland.

In ACT, Pilot was named best restaurant for a second year running, while Perth’s Lulu La Delizia took out the honour for Western Australia.

The event marked the first time the awards were announced in person, following more than two years of Covid restrictions and disruptions.

Full profiles of all the winners, along with the full 2023 Restaurant Guide, feature in the October issue of Gourmet Traveller.

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Finalists for 2023 Gourmet Traveller Restaurant Awards are revealed

• The winners will be announced at a gala dinner on September 27

The finalists for the annual Gourmet Traveller 2023 Restaurant Awards have been revealed.

Hosted annually in September, the awards celebrate Australia’s culinary greats, a highlight of the industry’s calendar. Gourmet Traveller’s editor Joanna Hunkin said: “The past year has continued to test the hospitality industry, as staff shortages, illness and surging produce costs present an ongoing challenge for restaurants everywhere.”

Additionally to the list of finalists (below), three further awards will be presented: Outstanding Contribution to Hospitality, Chef of the Year and Restaurant of the Year.

Promoting the awards, Hunkin said: “Despite this [the challenges faced by the industry], the industry continues to serve up new, exciting and exceptional experiences, proving Australian dining is some of the most dynamic and creative in the world.

“It is our great pleasure to celebrate and single out those that are flying high and bringing joy to diners across the country,” the Gourmet Traveller editor added.

The finalists for the Gourmet Traveller 2023 Restaurant Awards are:

BEST NEW RESTAURANT

Arkhe, SA Di Stasio Carlton, VIC Frui Momento, WA Lana, NSW Margaret, NSW Onzieme, ACT Peppina, TAS Shell House, NSW  Grill Americano, VIC

BEST DESTINATION DINING

Armia Estate, WA Beach, NSW Blume, QLD Chauncy, VIC Mt Lofty Ranges Vineyard, SA Van Bone, TAS

BEST NEW TALENT

Alex Wong, NSW Dennis Yong, VIC Ethan Ferris, QLD Elizabeth Mitchell, NSW Helly Raichura, VIC Mug Chen & Chia Wu, SA Rohan Park, WA

RESTAURANT PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR

Andy Clappis, SA Elise Jacobsen, WA Laura Stucken, TAS Shannon Martinez, VIC Simon Gloftis, QLD

WINE BAR OF THE YEAR

Bar Merenda, VIC Bar Rochford, ACT Casa, WA Good Gilbert, SA Paloma, QLD Paski Vineria Popolare, NSW 

This year’s awards are sponsored by Winning Appliances, PorkStar, Oceania Cruising, Ilve & Fhiaba and Furl. The winners will be announced at a gala dinner at Sydney’s Shell House on September 27.

See also: Joanna Hunkin on how Gourmet Traveller bounced back after covid

• Cookbook Store List

Gourmet Traveller announces 2023 Restaurant Award finalists

After combing the country to determine the best places to eat, Australian Gourmet Traveller magazine recently announced the finalists for its 2023 Restaurant Awards in five different categories: Best New Restaurant, Best Wine Bar, Best New Talent, Restaurant Personality of the Year and Best Destination Dining.

The winners will be revealed soon at a glamorous gala evening at Shell House in Sydney and in the upcoming October issue of the magazine. We list the finalists for Restaurant of the Year below, and you can view the restaurants named in the other four categories on the Gourmet Traveller website using the link above.

• ARKHÉ | Adelaide
• DI STASIO CARLTON | Melbourne, Vic (cookbooks by chef Rinaldo Di Stasio )
• FRUI MOMENTO | Margaret River, WA
• GRILL AMERICANO | Melbourne, Vic
• LANA | Sydney, NSW
• MARGARET | Sydney, NSW (cookbooks by chef Neil Perry )
• ONZIEME | Canberra, ACT
• PEPPINA | Hobart, Tas
• SHELL HOUSE DINING ROOM & TERRACE | Sydney, NSW

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Gourmet Traveller Restaurant Awards names Pilot as Canberra's best restaurant

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Well, the Gourmet Traveller Restaurant Awards has named Pilot as the best restaurant in the ACT for the second year in a row . (Not bad for a place that only opened its doors in late 2019).

The restaurant was among the winners announced at a gala event in Sydney on Tuesday evening.

Gourmet Traveller said that while COVID had caused chaos at some restaurants, Pilot "is soaring; confident, playful and polished".

"A move to a blind, 10-course dégustation menu has only sharpened the focus of chef Malcolm Hanslow and his team, as they prepare each Goldilocks-sized portion with precision," it said.

"The kitchen and floor staff work in harmony to deliver a perfectly paced experience that never feels rushed - but will have you promptly out the door in two hours flat, even with relaxed banter between courses.

"... The balance is always playful and precise, much like the service and natty wine list. In short? Top Gun."

In The Canberra Times ' most recent review of Pilo t, Chris Hansen said the restaurant "don't just cook food. They research it, source it, taste it, adapt it, refine it, produce it and then repeat it. And that's just on one evening."

"This is a restaurant that mixes it with the best in the country. It's not a cheap date night but the value is there. Canberra should be proud of what owners Dash Rumble and Ross McQuinn have attempted and are indeed achieving," he wrote.

"The menu is set at seven courses, $130 per head and they know what we can't or don't wish to eat. Everyone eats the same base menu, the wine list is prolifically all Australian and you can match wines for $90, non-alcoholic drinks for $50 or you can BYO a special bottle, with a corkage fee of $60."

• Review: Pilot in Ainslie among the best in the country
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Pilot isn't the only local restaurant picking up awards recently.

Earlier this month, the Boat House was named Canberra's top restaurant of the year at the 2022 Restaurant and Catering Awards .

Pomegranate and Buvette wone the best restaurant awards in the accommodation and general sections at the recent Australian Hotels Association (ACT branch) annual Hospitality and Tourism Awards .

Gourmet Traveller awards

As well as announcing the best restaurants from other states and territories, South Australia's Restaurant Botanic took out the top honour at this year's Gourmet Traveller Restaurant Awards.

Neil Perry, Shannon Martinez, Ben Shewry, Brigitte Haffner, and Andrew McConnell were among the chefs to attend the event. It was a night of double celebration for Perry, whose Double Bay diner Margaret was named both Best New Restaurant and the NSW state winner of Restaurant of the Year.

Tasmania claimed Best Destination Dining for Van Bone in Marion Bay, while Hobart's Fico was named the state winner. In South Australia, Restaurant Botanic claimed both the state prize while the creative duo behind Willunga wine bar Muni - Mug Chen and Chia Wu - were named Best New Talent.

From Victoria, Thi Le was voted Chef of the Year in the night's only peer-voted category, while Shannon Martinez was named Restaurant Personality of Year. Tedesca Osteria was named the state winner for the second year in a row.

Gold Coast wine bar Paloma was singled out as the Wine Bar of the Year, while Essa was awarded the state prize for Queensland.

Perth's Lulu La Delizia took out the award for Western Australia.

We've made it a whole lot easier for you to have your say. Our new comment platform requires only one log-in to access articles and to join the discussion on The Canberra Times website. Find out how to register so you can enjoy civil, friendly and engaging discussions. See our moderation policy here .

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Loondocks Restaurant is a Travel & Hospitality Award Winner for 2024

May 31, 2024 | Press Release

Loondocks Restaurant is a Travel & Hospitality Awards Winner for 2024

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 31/05/2024

Travel & Hospitality Awards +44 (0) 800 048 8265 [email protected]

United Kingdom, 31/05/2024: The Travel & Hospitality Awards is proud to announce that Loondocks Restaurant has been awarded in its 2024 Food & Restaurant Awards programme.

Recipients of Travel & Hospitality awards in 2024 were scrupulously selected based on the aggregation of reviews from multiple third-party sources. Selected by a panel of experts who analyse submission material, review customer feedback and compare the facilities of each entrant. Our winners are those who can demonstrate their uniqueness, quality of services and facilities and exceptional levels of customer care across a number of categories.

In this extraordinary year of the awards over 300 nominations were received for this years programme, and the standard of entries was incredibly high. The judging panel had great difficulty in narrowing down the entries but the winners reflect the very best in travel and hospitality standards. The team at Travel & Hospitality Awards, said: “We were overwhelmed by the quality of entries this year. We hope this guide will be a useful tool for discerning travellers planning their next luxury getaway. Congratulations once again to all our winners.”

The full list of winners will be included in the annual awards publication that will be available for digital download in November. To receive this publication, you are encouraged to join the mailing list to be notified upon its release.

For more details on Travel & Hospitality Awards, go to www.thawards.com

About the Company: THE TRAVEL & HOSPITALITY AWARDS is an annual celebration of excellence across all sectors of travel. The independent awards programme is an annual celebration of excellence for the best hotels, spas, restaurants and tour operators.

About Loondocks Restaurant: Awarded Gourmet Restuarant of the Year 2024 – Canada.

Media Contact:

Stanley Lucas | Public Relations Travel & Hospitality Awards | +44 (0) 800 048 8265 | [email protected]

Related Links: www.thawards.com

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World's 50 Best Restaurants 2022 Will Take Place in Moscow

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The World's 50 Best Restaurants , sponsored by  S.Pellegrino  &  Acqua Panna ,  will hold its 2022 restaurant awards ceremony in  Moscow, Russia, in July 2022.

In 2021, the World’s 50 Best Restaurants  held the first in-person awards programme since 2019, and with plans already in place for 2022, the resilience and optimism of the industry are ever more tangible.

William Drew , director of content for  The World’s 50 Best Restaurants , said: “With the international restaurant scene gathering pace once again, we are thrilled to announce Moscow as the host destination of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2022 this coming July. Following the successful return our live awards programme in 2021, we have no doubt that the 2022 event programme will allow the global gastronomic community to reconnect once more in person and celebrate the indomitable spirit of the hospitality sector on an even greater scale.”

Moscow also makes a fitting choice having been awarded its first-ever Michelin stars this year, with the publication of the  Michelin Guide to Moscow 2022 , in which seven restaurants were given one star and two restaurants received two stars ( Artest - Chef's Table and Twins Garden ) .

While the awards ceremony will take place next July in the Russian capital, other warm-up event events will be staged ahead of the ceremony, including thought-leadership forum  #50BestTalks  and the Chefs’ Feast . The exact location and date of the ceremony are yet to be announced.

Here's a reminder of the World's 50 Best Restaurants 2021 list.

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World's 50 Best Restaurant Awards has selected the most highly regarded, fine-dining restaurants in the world. 

World's 50 best restaurant awards moved from moscow.

The annual awards ceremony which recognises the “best restaurants in the world” has been moved from the Russian capital of Moscow to London after the invasion of Ukraine.

The World’s 50 Best confirmed that it will move its annual restaurant awards ceremony in July from Moscow to London. The 50 Best organisation announced the news on Twitter and Instagram after Russian forces invaded Ukraine on 24 February.

"At this current time, we are planning on holding The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2022 in London in July," the statement posted by the 50 Best team read. The ceremony's planners refused to provide further information and switched comments off on the post. The World's 50 Best Restaurant Awards have been likened to the Oscars of the fine-dining world.  

At this current time, we are planning on holding The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2022 in London in July. #Worlds50Best pic.twitter.com/M9LJysVUFF — The World's 50 Best (@TheWorlds50Best) February 24, 2022

The awards ceremony was held in London from 2003 to 2015 before it went international, with stops in New York in 2016, Melbourne in 2017, the Basque Country in 2018, Singapore in 2019 and Antwerp in 2021. 

Last year, Copenhagen’s Noma by chef René Redzepi was named the best restaurant in the world, cementing the city's reputation as one of the best fine-dining destinations in 2021. The iconic restaurant also topped the list in 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2014 and came second in 2019.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by noma (@nomacph)

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Food and Wine, travel and gastronomy

Moscow to host 2022 World’s 50 Best Restaurants awards in July

December 2, 2021 by Ivan Brincat Leave a Comment

The ceremony for the The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2022 awards will be hosted in Moscow, Russia in July 2022. This was announced by 50 Best earlier this week. The world’s most renowned chefs, restaurateurs and culinary icons gathered last month for the return of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2021 which was held in the Belgian city of Antwerp. It was the first in-person awards programme since 2019, representing an important milestone in the ongoing recovery of the restaurant sector.

This will be the first time that the awards takes place in the city of Moscow. An extensive event programme hosted throughout the city will culminate in the awards ceremony in Moscow, as the much-anticipated reopening of the international restaurant sector continues and worldwide travel resumes once more. Visitors will have the opportunity to experience the superb restaurants, heritage and culture of Moscow, casting a spotlight on the city as an exciting and emerging culinary hotspot.

William Drew, Director of Content for The World’s 50 Best Restaurants, says: “With the international restaurant scene gathering pace once again, we are thrilled to announce Moscow as the host destination of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2022 this coming July. Following the successful return our live awards programme in 2021, we have no doubt that the 2022 event programme will allow the global gastronomic community to reconnect once more in person and celebrate the indomitable spirit of the hospitality sector on an even greater scale.”

Highlights for the programme in Moscow will include a series of key events such as #50BestTalks, a Chefs’ Feast showcasing the finest produce and cooking from the Moscow region, interview opportunities and, of course, the awards ceremony and countdown itself. The July event programme will also be preceded by a number of special awards announcements, designed to honour the achievements of both individuals and establishments. The precise date of the awards ceremony will be confirmed in the coming months.

Rene Redzepi with his restaurant Noma was crowned restaurant of the year clinching the top spot of the 2021 list. This means the restaurant, which won the awards five times together with the legendary el Bulli will no longer be eligible to participate in the ranking as from next year. It will join the other no. 1 restaurants in what is now called the Best of the Best list.

Second-placed restaurant Geranium is favourite to clinch the top spot next year. In January, it is reported that the restaurant will go on a PR blitz inviting many of the voters to try the new menu which has gone meatless in a bid to secure the top position.

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Lotte Hotel Jeju Wonsaeng Garden receives Grand Prize of the Red Dot Design Award in the Product Design category

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Outstanding performance rating for 2022 Youth-friendly Enterprise ESG Support Initiative

Korean Standard Service Quality Index 2022 by Korean Standards Association Ranked 1st in hotel industry for 10 consecutive years and 1st in business hotel industry for 6 consecutive years

National Customer Satisfaction Index 2022 by Korea Productivity Center Ranked 1st in hotel industry for 5 consecutive years

LOTTE ARAI RESORT quadruple crowned from ‘2022 Ski Asia Awards’ (Japan’s best family ski resort, best ski hotel, best ski resort for power, and best snowsports school)

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LOTTE HOTEL SEOUL Executive Tower honoured as the top luxury hotel in South Korea from Tripadvisor ‘2022 Travellers’ Choice Awards’

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The Palace at LOTTE NEW YORK PALACE rated Forbes Travel Guide Recommended hotel

The Tower at LOTTE NEW YORK PALACE accoladed with Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star hotel

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LOTTE HOTEL Service Academy receives grand prize from Korea HRD Award (second consecutive year)

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LOTTE HOTEL SEOUL voted Best MICE Hotel in the World 7 years running

LOTTE HOTEL SEOUL voted Best Hotel in South Korea 10 years running

SIGNIEL BUSAN voted Best New Hotel in Asia

SIGNIEL SEOUL voted Best Hotel in Asia 2 years running

Korean Standard Service Quality Index 2021 by Korean Standards Association Ranked 1st in hotel industry for 9 consecutive years and 1st in business hotel industry for 5 consecutive years

LOTTE HOTEL SEOUL wins “Best Business Hotel in Seoul” 12 years running at Business Traveller Asia-Pacific Awards 2021

LOTTE Hotels produces the Green Traveler’s Guide in a hotel industry first, and holds a carbon-neutral practices agreement signing ceremony with the Ministry of Environment

LOTTE HOTEL YANGON La Seine wins Luxury Family Restaurant Award by World Luxury Hotel Awards

LOTTE HOTEL YANGON wins Luxury Hotel Award by World Luxury Hotel Awards

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SIGNIEL SEOUL Evian Spa wins Luxury Destination Spa Award by World Luxury Hotel Awards

SIGNIEL SEOUL STAY wins Gourmet Cuisine Award by World Luxury Hotel Awards

SIGNIEL SEOUL wins Luxury Gourmet Hotel Award by World Luxury Hotel Awards

LOTTE HOTEL SEATTLE ranked 10th in American Northwest region hotels by Conde Nast Traveler’s 2021 Readers’ Choice Awards

LOTTE NEW YORK PALACE ranked 29th among top 30 New York hotels by Conde Nast Traveler’s 2021 Readers’ Choice Awards

SIGNIEL SEOUL ranked 5th among top 30 Asian hotels by Conde Nast Traveler’s 2021 Readers’ Choice Awards

National Customer Satisfaction Index 2021 by Korea Productivity Center Ranked 1st in hotel industry for 4 consecutive years

LOTTE Hotels ranked 1st by Korean Standard Premium Brand Index (KS-PBI) for 10 years running

LOTTE HOTEL SEATTLE selected among top 10 romantic hotels by USA Today

LOTTE Hotels wins Digital Customer Satisfaction Index (HTHI) Award

LOTTE HOTEL SEATTLE selected among top 10 best new hotels in the US by USA Today

LOTTE HOTEL MOSCOW rated 4 stars by Forbes Travel Guide

LOTTE NEW YORK PALACE, Tower at New York Palace, rated 4 stars by Forbes Travel Guide

LOTTE HOTEL ST. PETERSBURG rated 5 stars by Forbes Travel Guide (2 consecutive years)

LOTTE Hotels wins top hotel industry consumer award by Asia Business Daily

2020 Korea Human Resource Development Award WINNER

LOTTE ARAI RESORT won Japan’s Best Ski Resort 2020 by World Ski Awards

LOTTE HOTEL SAMARA, Luxury Banquet/Event Hotel 2020 by World Luxury Hotel Awards

Best Luxury Hotel for Myanmar 2019-2020 by Asia Pacific Property Awards

Myanmar Leading Hotel Award 2020 by World Travel Awards

Luxury Hotel Restaurant Award 2020 by World Luxury Restaurant Awards

Luxury Hotel Award 2020 by World Luxury Hotel Awards

Ranked first in the hotels category for 8 consecutive years and first in the business hotels category for 4 consecutive years by Korean Standards Association’s 2020 KS-SQI, Korean Service Quality Index

LOTTE HOTEL SEOUL ranked No. 1 as the “Best Business Hotel in Seoul” for 11 consecutive years

The first time in the Korean Hotel Industry, 2020 Korea Service Grand Prix 『The Hall of Fame』

LOTTE ARAI RESORT won the 2020 Ski Asia Awards (four times in a row)

LOTTE HOTEL VLADIVOSTOK rated an ‘Excellent Corporation’ at the Russian Federation Corporate Day Event

LOTTE HOTEL MOSCOW rated a Four-star Hotel by Forbes Travel Guide

LOTTE NEW YORK PALACE, Tower at New York Palace, rated a Four-star Hotel by Forbes Travel Guide

LOTTE NEW YORK PALACE received “Recommended Awards” by Forbes Travel Guide

LOTTE HOTEL SEOUL received “Recommended Awards” by Forbes Travel Guide

LOTTE HOTEL ST. PETERSBURG rated a Five-star Hotel by Forbes Travel Guide

LOTTE HOTEL VLADIVOSTOK named the Best Hotel in the Maritime Province of Siberia by the Russian Maritime Government

LOTTE HOTELS becomes the first hotel to receive the 2019 Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Award for being a leisure-friendly

LOTTE HOTEL SEOUL voted the Best MICE Hotel by the Global Traveler (five years in a row)

LOTTE HOTEL SEOUL voted the Best Hotel in South Korea by the Global Traveler (eight years in a row)

LOTTE HOTEL HANOI voted one of the Top 10 Hotels by the Vietnam Economic Times (two years in a row)

First Place in Hotel Category for 3 consecutive years, 2019 National Customer Satisfaction Index(NCSI), Korea Productivity Center

First Place in Hotel Category for 7 consecutive year, Business Hotel Category for 3 consecutive year 2019 KS-SQI(Korean Standard Service Quality Index), Korean Standard Association

First Place in Hotel Category for 2 consecutive years, 2018 National Customer Satisfaction Index(NCSI), Korea Productivity Center

Grand Award in Hotel Category for five consecutive years, 2018 Korea Service Grand Prix, Korean Standards Association

First place in Hotel category for six consecutive years, First place in Business hotel category for two consecutive years, 2018 Korean Standard - Service Quality Index(KS-SQI), Korean Standards Association

SIGNIEL SEOUL, Voted Best New Luxury Hotel in Asia by Global Traveler

LOTTE HOTELS & RESORTS, Voted Hotel of the Year by Global Traveler

LOTTE HOTEL SEOUL, Voted Best MICE Hotel in the World by Global Traveler (three consecutive years)

LOTTE HOTEL SEOUL, Voted Best Hotel in South Korea by Global Traveler (six consecutive years)

LOTTE City Hotels, First Place in Business Hotel Category, Korean Standard-Service Quality Index

LOTTE HOTEL ST.PETERSBURG, Europe`s Leading New Hotel 2017 World Travel Awards

LOTTE HOTEL, First Place in Hotel Category, National Customer Satisfaction Index, KPC

First Place in Hotel Category, Korean Standard Service Quality Index, KSA (5 consecutive years)

First Place in Hotel Category, Korean Standard Service Quality Index, KSA

LOTTE HOTEL, First Place in Hotel Category, Premium Brand Index, KSA

LOTTE HOTEL SEOUL & LOTTE NEW YORK PALACE win “Recommended Award” by Forbes Travel Guide

The Tower at LOTTE NEW YORK PALACE wins “4 Star Awards” by Forbes Travel Guide

LOTTE HOTEL MOSCOW, Best Wedding Hotel in Russia by Wedding Awards

LOTTE HOTEL SEOUL, Best Hotel in Korea, Global Traveler

LOTTE HOTEL SEOUL, Best Business Hotel in Seoul, Business Traveller (7 consecutive years)

LOTTE HOTEL, First Place in Hotel Category, Premium Brand Index, KSA (5 consecutive years)

First Place in Hotel Category, Korea Service Awards, KSA

First Place in Hotel Category, Korean Standard Service Quality Index, KSA (4 consecutive years)

No. 1 in Hotel Category of Korea’s Heart to Heart Index (HTHI)

LOTTE HOTEL SEOUL Wins The Best Foreign Business Hotel Award by Condé Nast Traveller

LOTTE HOTEL MOSCOW, Luxury Hotel of the Year by Russian Hospitality awards

LOTTE HOTEL MOSCOW, No.2 Hotel among “Luxury Hotels in Europe” Travellers’ Choice Award, TripAdvisor

LOTTE City Hotel Mapo, LOTTE City Hotel Guro, LOTTE HOTEL BUSAN, LOTTEL HOTEL WORLD, Best Hotel Travellers` Choice Award, TripAdvisor

Art Villas, First Place in Resort Category, Star Brand Awards

LOTTE HOTEL SEOUL, Best Hotel in Korea & Best MICE Hotel in the World, Global Traveler

LOTTE HOTEL MOSCOW, Best Breakfast in a Hotel in Europe by Villégiature Awards

LOTTE HOTEL MOSCOW, Luxury Business Hotel by World Luxury Hotel Awards

LOTTE HOTEL, President’s Prize at National Productivity Award (KPC)

LOTTE HOTEL SEOUL, Best Business Hotel in Seoul, Business Traveller (6 consecutive years)

ISO20121 for Event Sustainability Management System, KSA

LOTTE HOTEL, 2015 Best Labor Management Culture Company

LOTTE HOTEL, First Place in Hotel Category, Premium Brand Index, KSA (4 consecutive years)

LOTTE HOTEL awarded Minister’s Prize at 2015 Korea Green Management Awards co-hosted by Ministry of Trade, Industry & Energy and Ministry of Environment

LOTTE HOTEL, First Place in Hotel Category, Korean Standard Service Quality Index, KSA (3 consecutive years)

LOTTE HOTEL MOSCOW, Best Luxury Hotel Spa in Russia by World Luxury Spa Awards

LOTTE HOTEL MOSCOW, The Best City Hotel in Russia by conde Nast Traveller Magazine

LOTTE HOTEL SEOUL, MOSCOW, Best Hotel Travellers` Choice Award, TripAdvisor

LOTTE HOTEL MOSCOW, No.5 in Best Luxury Hotels in Europe, Travelers´ Choice Awards, TripAdvisor

LOTTE HOTEL MOSCOW Les Menus par Pierre Gagnaire, The Best Hotel Restaurant in Europe, Prix Villegiature Awards

LOTTE HOTEL MOSCOW, Best Hotel in Europe, Prix Villegiature Awards

LOTTE HOTEL SEOUL, Best Business Hotel in Seoul, Business Traveller (5 consecutive years)

LOTTE HOTEL SAIGON, Outstanding Resort-Style Hotel, The Guide

LOTTE HOTEL, First Place in Hotel Category, Premium Brand Index, KSA (3 consecutive years)

LOTTE HOTEL, First Place in Hotel Category, Korean Standard Service Quality Index, KSA (2 consecutive years)

LOTTE HOTEL, Travelers’ Choice Award, TripAdvisor (9 hotels including LOTTE HOTEL SEOUL, MOSCOW, and JEJU)

LOTTE HOTEL MOSCOW Megu, Best Hotel Restaurant, Condé Nast Traveller Russia

LOTTE HOTEL MOSCOW, Hotel Spa of the Year in Eastern Europe, World Spa & Wellness Awards

LOTTE HOTEL MOSCOW, Luxury Hotel of the Year, Russian Hospitality Awards

LOTTE Group Chairman Shin Dong-bin, BPW Gold Award, Business & Professional Women Korea

LOTTE HOTEL MOSCOW Les Menus par Pierre Gagnaire, First Place in Prestige Category, Prix Le Montrachet

LOTTE HOTEL MOSCOW Mandara Spa, Best Spa Treatment for Couples, Wedding Magazine

LOTTE HOTEL SEOUL, Luxury Business Hotel, World Luxury Hotel Awards

LOTTE HOTEL BUSAN, First Place in Energy Management Category, Global Standard Management Awards, KMA

LOTTE HOTEL MOSCOW, Best Hotel in Hospitality Art, My Planet National TV Channel

LOTTE HOTEL, First Place in Hotel Category, National Customer Satisfaction Index, KPC (2 consecutive years)

LOTTE HOTEL SEOUL, Best Business Hotel in Seoul, Business Traveller (4 consecutive years)

LOTTE HOTEL Fitness & Spa, Crystal Award

LOTTE HOTEL MOSCOW Mandara Spa, Perfect Hotel Spa, Spa & Wellness International Council

LOTTE HOTEL, First Place in Hotel Category, Premium Brand Index, KSA (2 consecutive years)

LOTTE HOTEL, First Place in Hotel Category, Korea Service Awards, KSA

LOTTE HOTEL, First Place in Hotel Category, Korean Standard Service Quality Index, KSA

LOTTE HOTEL MOSCOW, Best Luxury Hotel, Russian Hotel Awards

LOTTE HOTEL, Certificate of Excellence, TripAdvisor

LOTTE HOTEL SEOUL, Best Hotel in Korea, International Hotel Awards Asia-Pacific

LOTTE HOTEL, First Place in Hotel Category, Brand Star Awards, Brand Stock

LOTTE HOTEL SEOUL Pierre Gagnaire Seoul, Best Restaurant in Korea & Top 6 Restaurant in Asia, Miele Guide

LOTTE HOTEL SEOUL, First Place in Luxury Hotel Category, Best Brand Hotel Awards, The Korea Times (2 consecutive years)

LOTTE HOTEL MOSCOW, The Best City Hotel in Russia, Condé Nast Traveller

LOTTE HOTEL MOSCOW, Best City Hotel in Russia, My Planet National TV Channel

LOTTE HOTEL MOSCOW, Best Hotel in Russia, European Hotel Awards

LOTTE HOTEL, 100 Best Companies to Work for, GWP Korea

LOTTE HOTEL MOSCOW, Best Luxury Hotel in Russia, World Luxury Hotel Awards

LOTTE HOTEL SEOUL, Best City Hotel in Seoul, TTG (3 consecutive years)

LOTTE HOTEL SEOUL, Best Business Hotel in Seoul, Business Traveller (3 consecutive years)

LOTTE HOTEL, First Place in Hotel Category, NCSI

LOTTE HOTEL MOSCOW, Best Hotel for Weddings, Element Hotel Awards

LOTTE HOTEL SEOUL, Best Hotel in Korea, Asia Pacific Hotel Award, Bloomberg TV

LOTTE HOTEL MOSCOW Megu, Six Star Diamond Award, American Academy of Hospitality Sciences

LOTTE HOTEL, First Place in Hotel Category, Brand Star Awards, Brand Stock (2 consecutive years)

LOTTE HOTEL, First Place in Hotel Category for 2 years running, Korea Brand Power Index, KMAC

LOTTE HOTEL SEOUL, First Place in Luxury Hotel Category, Best Brand Hotel Awards, The Korea Times

LOTTE HOTEL SEOUL Pierre Gagnaire Seoul, Best Restaurant in Korea & Top 8 Restaurant in Asia, Miele Guide

LOTTE HOTEL, First Place in Travel Category, Smart App Awards, Korea Internet Professional Association

LOTTE HOTEL SEOUL, Best City Hotel in Seoul, TTG (2 consecutive years)

LOTTE HOTEL SEOUL, Best Business Hotel in Seoul, Business Traveller (2 consecutive years)

LOTTE HOTEL SEOUL, Best Hotel in Korea, Asia Pacific Hotel Awards, held in association with Bloomberg TV

LOTTE HOTEL, First Place in Hotel Industry Category, Korea Best Brand Awards, Hankook Ilbo

LOTTE HOTEL, First Place in Hotel Category, Korea Brand Power Index, KMAC

LOTTE HOTEL, Chef Na Sung-joo∙ Jeong Sang-kyun, Gold Medal, Culinary World Cup

LOTTE HOTEL SEOUL, Best City Hotel in Seoul, TTG

LOTTE HOTEL SEOUL, Best Business Hotel in Seoul, Business Traveller

LOTTE HOTEL SEOUL Pierre Gagnaire Seoul, Korea´s Best Restaurant, Miele Guide (Germany)

LOTTE HOTEL SEOUL, Chef Park Seong-hun, Gold Medal, the 40th World Skills Competition

LOTTE HOTEL, First Place in Hotel Category & Korea 1% Value Brand, Korea Brand Power Index, KMAC

LOTTE HOTEL SEOUL, Best Individual Hotel in Asia, Global Traveler (3 consecutive years)

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Stories / Awards

The 2023 James Beard Media Award Winners

June 03, 2023

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Congratulations to the winners of the 2023 James Beard Media Awards, presented by Capital One. The Media Awards took place in Chicago and honored the nation’s top food authors, broadcast producers, hosts, journalists, podcasters, and social media content creators.

Join us in celebrating the winners below!

2023 James Beard Foundation Book Award Winners

Cookbooks and other non-fiction food or beverage-related books published in the United States in 2022 were elligible to enter the 2023 James Beard Book Awards.

Baking and Desserts Tava: Eastern European Baking and Desserts from Romania & Beyond Irina Georgescu (Hardie Grant Books)

Beverage with Recipes The Bartender's Manifesto: How to Think, Drink, and Create Cocktails Like a Pro Toby Maloney and Emma Janzen (Clarkson Potter)

Beverage without Recipes Exploring the World of Japanese Craft Sake: Rice, Water, Earth Nancy Matsumoto and Michael Tremblay (Tuttle Publishing)

Bread The Perfect Loaf: The Craft and Science of Sourdough Breads, Sweets, and More: A Baking Book Maurizio Leo (Clarkson Potter)

Food Issues and Advocacy Eating While Black: Food Shaming and Race in America Psyche A. Williams-Forson (University of North Carolina Press)

General The Cook You Want to Be: Everyday Recipes to Impress Andy Baraghani (Lorena Jones Books)

International   Mi Cocina: Recipes and Rapture from My Kitchen in Mexico: A Cookbook Rick Martínez (Clarkson Potter)

Literary Writing Savor: A Chef's Hunger for More Fatima Ali with Tarajia Morrell (Ballantine Books)

Reference, History, and Scholarship Slaves for Peanuts: A Story of Conquest, Liberation, and a Crop That Changed History Jori Lewis (The New Press)

Restaurant and Professional  Bludso's BBQ Cookbook: A Family Affair in Smoke and Soul Kevin Bludso with Noah Galuten (Ten Speed Press)

Single Subject The Wok: Recipes and Techniques J. Kenji López-Alt (W.W. Norton & Company)

U.S. Foodways  I Am From Here: Stories and Recipes from a Southern Chef Vishwesh Bhatt (W. W. Norton & Company)

Vegetable-Focused Cooking  The Vegan Chinese Kitchen: Recipes and Modern Stories from a Thousand-Year-Old Tradition: A Cookbook Hannah Che (Clarkson Potter)

Visuals  Chinese-ish: Home Cooking Not Quite Authentic, 100% Delicious Joanna Hu and Armelle Habib (Interlink Books)

Cookbook Hall of Fame Joe Randall

Emerging Voice Illyanna Maisonet    Diasporican: A Puerto Rican Cookbook    Ten Speed Press

2022 James Beard Foundation Broadcast Media Award Winners

The Broadcast Media Awards are open to all works in English from digital and terrestrial media—radio, television broadcasts, podcasts, documentaries, online sites, social media—covering food and beverage topics and appearing widely for the first time in the United States in 2022.

Audio Programming Copper & Heat “Abalone: The Cost of Consumption” Airs on: Various podcast platforms Audio Reporting Jane Black and Elizabeth Dunn Pressure Cooker “The Twisted History of School Lunch in America”    Airs on: Various podcast platforms

Commercial Media Hallie Davison, Jorge Gaviria, and Daniel Klein Masienda Presents Airs on: YouTube Documentary/Docuseries Visual Media Coldwater Kitchen Airs on: Various film festivals

Instructional Visual Media Big Sky Kitchen With Eduardo Garcia Airs on: Magnolia Network and Discovery+

Reality or Competition Visual Media Restaurant Takeover ft. Matta Airs on: YouTube

Visual Media—Short Form CBS Sunday Morning  “Black, White, and The Grey”; “How Erin French found herself at The Lost Kitchen” Airs on: CBS

Visual Media—Long Form The Whole Animal Airs on: SOMM TV    

Social Media Account Erwan Heussaff Erwan             Airs on: Instagram

Emerging Voice Abena Anim-Somuah Host, The Future of Food is You Airs on: Cherry Bombe

2023 James Beard Foundation Journalism Award Winners

The Journalism Awards recognize work covering food- or drink-related topics published—or self-published—in 2022.

Beverage “Lost in Translation — How Flavor Wheels and Tasting Tools Can Evolve to Speak with Global Beer Drinkers”  Mark Dredge                    Good Beer Hunting

Columns and Newsletters  “Tetelas Are the Tasty Triangles You Need to Try Right Now”; “Birria Is the Greatest Threat to Taco Culture—and Its Savior”; “Trompo Tacos Are So Much More Than Tacos al Pastor”    José R. Ralat    Texas Monthly

Craig Claiborne Distinguished Restaurant Review Award “Poncho’s Tlayudas, a window to Oaxaca, serves one of L.A.’s defining dishes”; “At Chinatown’s Pearl River Deli, the menu is always changing — and worth chasing”; “Anajak Thai is our 2022 Restaurant of the Year”    Bill Addison Los Angeles Times

Dining and Travel “The I-95 exit-by-exit eating guide”; “Don't leave home without your I-95 eating guide” Hanna Raskin    The Food Section

Feature Reporting  “Blood Sweat & Tears” Shane Mitchell The Bitter Southerner

Food Coverage in a General Interest Publication   The Bitter Southerner                                    

Foodways  “Come Hell or High Water — Oysters, Brewing, and How the Come Yahs & Bin Yahs Could End Sea Level Rise in Charleston” Jamaal Lemon Good Beer Hunting

Health and Wellness  “How the Supreme Court Decision Exacerbated the Dire State of Bar Industry Healthcare” Betsy Andrews SevenFifty Daily

Home Cooking  “Sour Power” Lara Lee    Food & Wine

Innovative Storytelling  “Night Market”  Thrillist Staff    Thrillist

Investigative Reporting   “Animal Agriculture Is Dangerous Work. The People Who Do It Have Few Protections.”; “‘I Was Coughing So Hard I Would Throw Up’”; “Tyson Says Its Nurses Help Workers. Critics Charge They Stymie OSHA.” Christina Cooke, Alice Driver, and Gosia Wozniacka    Civil Eats

Jonathan Gold Local Voice Award “When I Feel Unmoored by Life, I Always Find My Way Back to Either/Or”; “At Mira’s East African Cuisine, One Family’s Iftar Traditions Take the Forefront”; “Why Isn’t There an Overdose Kit Stocked Behind Every Bar in Portland?” Brooke Jackson-Glidden    Eater

MFK Fisher Distinguished Writing Award “Blood Sweat & Tears” Shane Mitchell The Bitter Southerner    

Personal Essay with Recipes “Dog S#!t Dacquoise” Diep Tran    Food & Wine Personal Essay without Recipes “On Boba” Kyla Wazana Tompkins  The LARB Quarterly of the Los Angeles Review of Books

Profile   “The Sweetest Harvest” Kayla Stewart and Clay Williams   Food & Wine

Emerging Voice Lyndsay C. Green Restaurant and Dining Critic Detroit Free Press

Read the full press release here .

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2024 James Beard nominees share what this ‘massive life achievement’ means

In just over a week, the James Beard Foundation will crown the top chefs and restaurateurs across the country at their annual awards ceremony in Chicago, often called the Oscars of the food world.

But no matter who wins, those with a nomination are forever part of a special class in the industry. So before the full-on celebrations get underway, we caught up with 12 nominated chefs and restaurateurs on all of their excitement and hopes ahead of the star-studded ceremony on June 10 at the Lyric Opera.

One chef spoke about how winning could “shift the needle” on industry disparities, while another shared that he “ugly cried” when he found out about the nomination. There’s lots of awe, gratitude, and goals among the group. 

Read on for the scoop from the nominees, and check back on June 10 for a full list of winners.

The following interviews have been edited for length

What’s the first thing you did when you found out you had been nominated?

Emerging chef nominee Fariyal Abdullahi of NYC’s Hav & Mar : I was on the set of Chopped . I turned to my co-judge Tiffani Faison and told her the great news. We screamed, hugged, and went back to shooting. Later during the shoot, everyone on set took a pause to present me with flowers and congratulate me.

Best chef: California nominee Rogelio Garcia of Calistoga’s Auro : This might sound a bit cliché, but I called my mom. The first time I took her to New York was when I cooked at the James Beard House in 2015.

Best chef: Mid-Atlantic nominee Matt Kern of Fenwick Island’s One Coastal : I was elbows deep in the grease trap and about 10 minutes after they announced it, I thought, ‘Let’s see who made the top five.’ I ugly cried a little bit and then called my wife. It was a very surreal moment since Delaware is not on the culinary map all the time.

Outstanding restaurateur nominee Melba Wilson of NYC’s Melba’s : When I first found out, I told the team, because hospitality is a team effort—it is not something that I achieve by myself. It is everyone from our runners to our dishwashers to our cooks to our chefs to our manager to my COO and my CFO.

What does the nomination mean to you and why?

Outstanding chef nominee Dean Neff of Wilmington’s Seabird : I could not be more honored and surprised. I’ve witnessed firsthand the positive impact independent restaurants can have on their communities and have come to realize that our work can be fulfilling in ways that go far beyond cooking.

Abdullahi : It would be the highlight of my career. I often talk about the disparity in numbers of kitchens led by women of color (6% to be specific), and this would shift the needle as to why we deserve these opportunities just as much as anyone else.

Best new restaurant nominee Erin Easton (co-nominated with Mike Easton) of Waitsburg’s Bar Bacetto : It’s a great way to be recognized for our many combined years in the hospitality industry.

Best chef: Mid-Atlantic nominee Harley Peet of Easton’s Bas Rouge : It is a massive life achievement for me and a huge career goal that I never even really thought was going to be possible, but if you work hard enough and put your passion and soul into something as much as I have, and as my team has, then good things come.

Kern: I don’t really have the budget to pay for publicity and PR, so that was huge. I’d rather pay my employees than pay for advertising, so that in itself is huge because we have definitely had a spike in business. I’m so grateful because local recognition is one thing—but national recognition, I mean, holy smokes. .

Who inspires you in the industry and why?

Best new restaurant nominee Biplaw Rai of Dorchester’s Comfort Kitchen : Every single restaurant worker that has left their families thousands of miles away to achieve their dream is my single inspiration. In a divisive political climate like today, it’s even more important for us to recognize our immigrant families that give so much and do not get recognized for their contribution.  

Neff : Cheetie Kumar [of Raleigh’s Ajja] is one of my favorite chefs, and she happens to be here in North Carolina as well. Her cooking, and how expertly she blends and layer flavors, is incredible.

Wilson : Chef Kwame Onwuachi [of NYC’s Tatiana] is someone who I’m very inspired by, someone who uses the flavors, and takes you on a culinary journey, from Nigeria to Harlem to the South Bronx to Queens to Asia. He’s also someone who’s unapologetically himself.

Peet : Chef Patrick O’Connell [of The Inn at Little Washington] has always been a giant inspiration, being a member of the LGBTQ community himself and being a pioneer in fine dining for the last 45 years. 

Who are you most excited to meet at the awards ceremony and why? 

Kern : I’ve always looked up to Andrew Zimmern [of Magnolia Network’s Family Dinner ], so I’d love to meet him, say hi, and maybe hug him. Grant Achatz [of Chicago’s Alinea] is a hero of mine. If he was there, I’d love to be able to shake his hand.

Wilson : Chef Serigne Mbaye [of New Orleans’s Dakar NOLA], who literally used to live around the corner from Melba’s, so to watch him grow up in this industry is seeing someone you knew was a diamond in the rough, but allowing the world to see what you saw many years ago. 

Best chef: Great Lakes nominee Jose Salazar of Cincinnati’s Mita’s : I am looking forward to a talk being given by chef Beverly Kim [of Chicago’s Parachute]. I’ve admired her and her husband Johnny’s work.

Neff : I’m a big fan of Preeti Waas [of Durham’s Cheeni], so I am excited to see her again. So excited she’s been invited to cook at the awards this year!  

Garcia : If I had to choose just one person, it would be José Andrés. He’s received the James Beard Humanitarian Award, and although I’ve met him before, I’ve never had a chance to have a conversation with him. He’s done so much as both a chef and a humanitarian.

Whose restaurant do you want to try most and why?

Wilson : Definitely Virtue . The chef Erick Williams is someone that I’ve met, and I love his journey. For me, food is about the journey. It is not about getting to Z, it’s about the stops that you made, the bumps in the road to get to where you are at—those are the things that really and truly impress. I know it hasn’t been an easy road for him, so I want to taste that pureness, that struggle, and all that success in his food.

Outstanding restaurant nominee Alex Perry (co-nominated with Kumi Omori) of Ocean Springs’s Vestige : We made reservations for The Smith in Chicago, and we are very excited to try that. The flavor combinations sound insanely creative, you know there is some genius behind there.

Rai : Dakar NOLA is definitely on my list. I am always interested in knowing [about a] chef’s upbringing and childhood through their food. Chef Seringe’s [Mbaye] home country Senegal is on my list of countries that I would love to visit and learn about. 

Peet : The Dabney is always a fantastic place to go. Jeremiah Langhorne [the chef and owner] is definitely a good inspiration as far as demonstration of absolute skill, using local ingredients, and promoting equality and stewardship in this business. 

What’s the one dish that best represents your restaurant and how?

Best chef: California nominee Tara Monsod of San Diego’s Animae : The short rib kare kare because it’s a humble Filipino dish that has been reimagined, similar to the other dishes at the restaurant. It’s a dish that involves technique but still has flavors that taste like home.

Best chef: Great Lakes nominee Sujan Sarkar of Chicago’s Indienne : The mushroom galouti, which is based on a kebab from Lucknow [a city in India]. The galouti is inserted into a choux bun and topped with goat cheese jelly and truffle. Indienne is all about presenting Indian food in more of a French way, and this is the perfect marriage between Indian food and modern French technique.

Neff : Ana Shellem [who runs a sustainable shellfishing company in North Carolina] has recently discovered loads of tulip snails in the marsh, and we have an unwritten rule that we’ll take anything and everything she finds when foraging. Our chef de cuisine Jay Jones tosses them with linguine, white wine, Calabrian chiles, garlic, and fresh spring herbs—it’s a really fresh take on linguine with clams that’s at the heart of what we do here at Seabird.  And they’ll probably find their way into our seafood tower soon, too. 

Kern : The Chesapeake blue catfish. It’s an invasive species; it has eaten up about 60% percent of the indigenous wildlife on the Chesapeake, and it needs to be eradicated. Serving that fish makes me really happy because it shows people how delicious conservation can be. 

Editor’s Note : The chefs and restaurateurs featured in the lead image are (from left to right, starting from the top row) Harley Peet of Easton’s  Bas Rouge , Dean Neff of Wilmington’s  Seabird , Fariyal Abdullahi of NYC’s  Hav & Mar , Jose Salazar of Cincinnati’s  Mita’s , Tara Monsod of San Diego’s  Animae , Melba Wilson of NYC’s  Melba’s , Sujan Sarkar of Chicago’s  Indienne , Kumi Omori and Alex Perry of Ocean Springs’s  Vestige , Rogelia Garcia of Calistoga’s  Auro , Matt Kern of Fenwick Island’s  One Coastal , Erin and Mike Easton of Waitsburg’s  Bar Bacetto , and the team at Dorchester’s  Comfort Kitchen,  including Biplaw Rai at the bottom right.

Tanay Warerkar has spent more than a decade as a journalist, including several years as a food reporter and editor. He’s worked at the San Francisco Chronicle , Eater, and the New York Daily News , among others. He now oversees features content at OpenTable, where he also stays on top of the hottest trends and developments in the restaurant industry.

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The Caribbean's Most Iconic Food Event Is a Beachfront Festivity With Celebrity Chefs — What to Know

The 16th annual Cayman Cookout, hosted by Eric Ripert, also includes Stephanie Izard and Mawa McQueen.

Courtesy of The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman

The only thing more enticing than a Caribbean getaway is one combined with elevated dining from top-name chefs — and next year’s Cayman Cookout may feature its most star-studded lineup yet. 

Today, the 16th annual culinary event announced the famous names who will appear at the five-day event from Jan. 15 through Jan. 20, 2025, including José Andrés, Andrew Zimmern, Kristen Kish, Daniel Boulud, and Emeril Lagasse. The event will be held at The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman , and hosted by Eric Ripert , who is best known for the three Michelin-star Le Bernardin and the resort's restaurant Blue. 

Also joining the premier Caribbean culinary event are Mawa McQueen, EJ Lagasse, Stephanie Izard, Aldo Sohm, Charles Joly, Michael Kennedy, TJ Vong, Lauren O’Brien, Madeline Puckette, and Tony Abou-Ganim.

The Cayman Cookout also spotlights upcoming talents in the culinary world, like Jorge Vallejo, Ronaldo Hsu, Claude Le Tohic, and Gonzo Jimenez, as well as Afro-Boricua mixologist, LP O’Brien of LP Drinks .

"This event is particularly special, as it showcases not only the culinary talents of renowned chefs and beverage experts, but also the enchanting atmosphere of our island, making it an unforgettable experience for all attendees,” Marc Langevin, the resort’s general manager, said in a statement shared with Travel + Leisure . 

Guests will get an intimate look behind-the-dishes of the international chefs through cooking demonstrations, tastings, masterclasses, workshops, and dining experiences. 

But it’s not just about the food — the unique charm is being in the dreamy island setting along with the famous names, enjoying the 369-room five-star resort’s 144 acres right on Seven Mile Beach, perhaps even playing pickleball and petanqué alongside them, or going on a lionfish cull outing with Andrés.

The " Cayman Cookout" package starts at $2,400 a night for two guests, with a five-night minimum, and includes top-notch accommodations, priority seating at the cooking demonstrations, and exclusive meet and greets. The guests will also have access to signature experiences and receive daily gourmet amenities in their rooms, as well as roundtrip airport transfers. 

T+L editor Susmita Baral experienced the Cayman Cookout earlier this year, remarking on how the island location truly made the event stand out from other culinary festivals. “Apart from great food and the celebrity chef presence, the beaches are stunning and there are other excursions to do between meals,” she said, calling the setting “perfect.”

But what she noted most was that beyond the fine food in paradise is the community that has organically formed around the festivities. “I met a lot of guests who were repeat visitors and come year after year,” Baral added. “That was interesting — and speaks to the event's offerings." 

Indeed, that’s exactly what Ripert calls a highlight as well. “This event brings together international experts in the stunning setting of Grand Cayman, honoring both the island and our cherished attendees,” he said in a statement. “Each year I host, I am continually moved and inspired by the emotion, creativity, and passion poured into every dish.”

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Biden partially lifts ban on Ukraine using U.S. arms to strike inside Russia, officials say

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President Biden has given Ukraine the go-ahead to use American weaponry to strike inside Russia for the limited purpose of defending Kharkiv, according to two U.S. officials familiar with the matter.

The officials, who requested anonymity to discuss the sensitive matter, underscored that the U.S. policy calling on Ukraine not to use American-provided long-range missiles and other munitions to strike inside Russia offensively has not changed.

The move comes as Ukrainian officials have stepped up calls on the U.S. administration to allow its forces to defend itself against attacks originating from Russian territory. Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, is just 12 miles from the Russian border.

Biden’s decision was first reported by Politico.

Ukrainian officials, most notably President Volodymyr Zelensky, have been increasingly vocal in making the case that the restriction was putting Ukrainian forces in an untenable situation as Russia has intensified attacks around the northeast Kharkiv region.

The advances came with Russia exploiting a lengthy delay in replenishment of U.S. military aid and as Western Europe’s inadequate military production has slowed crucial deliveries to the battlefield for Ukraine.

But since the start of the Russian invasion in February 2022, Biden has been steadfast in his opposition to the Ukrainians using American-made weaponry offensively out of concern that the action could be seen as provocative and lead to Moscow widening the war.

The decision comes as Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken on Thursday assailed Russian attempts to sow discord in democracies with misinformation after hinting the Biden administration may soon allow Ukraine to use American-supplied munitions to strike inside Russia.

With an increasing number of officials saying Ukraine must be able to defend itself by attacking targets in Russian territory, Blinken joined NATO foreign ministers for a meeting in Prague, where he said Moscow’s use of misinformation and disinformation was a “poison” and signed an agreement with the Czech government to combat it.

He also toured a Czech military base, where he saw armored vehicles that Prague is sending to Kyiv to help fight Russia’s invasion and received a briefing on a Czech initiative to supply Ukraine with 1 million rounds of ammunition by the end of the year.

“We know that a major front in the competition that we have, the adversarial relationship that we have, notably with Russia, is on the information front,” Blinken said.

He said the agreement with the Czechs — the 17th such accord the U.S. has signed with partner nations — would help “to effectively deal with misinformation and disinformation, which is a poison being injected into our democracies by our adversaries.”

“The more we’re able to do together both between our countries but also with other countries, the more effective we’re going to be exposing it and dealing with it,” Blinken told reporters at a signing ceremony with Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky.

Lipavsky agreed, noting that Czech authorities had recently exposed a major Russian-backed misinformation campaign.

“We are facing confrontation between democracies and autocracies,” Lipavsky said. “The Kremlin has started targeting democracies all around the world with cyberwarfare, propaganda and influence operations and this danger simply cannot be underestimated anymore.”

At a separate NATO-related event Thursday, Lipavsky said Ukraine needs resources to counter Russia’s relentless assault.

“Ukraine cannot fight against Russia with one hand tied behind its back,” he said. “Ukraine must be able to fight against Russia’s barbaric invasion even on Russian territory. Political resolve must be backed by credible capabilities.”

Norway’s foreign minister, Espen Barth Eide, told Norwegian broadcaster NRK that his country believes Ukraine “has a crystal-clear right under international law to attack Russia inside Russia as part of the defense of its territory.”

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and support for Ukrainian attempts to repel it will be a major focus of the NATO foreign ministers’ meetings on Thursday and Friday — the alliance’s last major diplomatic gathering before a leaders’ summit in Washington in July to mark the 75th anniversary of its founding.

On Wednesday in Moldova, Blinken said that U.S. policy on how Ukraine deploys American weapons is constantly evolving, suggesting that Washington may rescind its unwritten prohibition on Ukraine’s use of them for attacks on Russian territory.

Although U.S. officials insist there is no formal ban, they have long made clear that they believe the use of American weapons to attack targets inside Russia could provoke an escalatory response from Moscow, something that Russian President Vladimir Putin has promised.

That position, Blinken noted, was a “hallmark” of the Biden administration’s stance on Ukraine to “adapt and adjust” as needed. Blinken visited Kyiv earlier this month and heard a direct appeal from Zelensky to use U.S. military assistance to strike positions in Russian from where attacks on Ukraine are launched.

“As the conditions have changed, as the battlefield has changed, as what Russia does has changed in terms of how it’s pursuing its aggression, escalation, we’ve adapted and adjusted too, and I’m confident we’ll continue to do that,” Blinken said at a news conference in Chisinau.

“At every step along the way, we’ve adapted and adjusted as necessary, and so that’s exactly what we’ll do going forward,” he said. “We’re always listening, we’re always learning, and we’re always making determinations about what’s necessary to make sure that Ukraine can effectively continue to defend itself, and we’ll continue to do that.”

Earlier this week, French President Emmanuel Macron and NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said that Western countries should not object if Ukraine needs to strike inside Russia to defend itself. Stoltenberg reaffirmed that position on Thursday.

“I believe that time has come to [re]consider some of these restrictions to enable the Ukrainians to really defend themselves,” he said. “We need to remember what it is. This is a war of aggression launched by choice by Moscow against Ukraine.”

The right to self-defense, he said, “includes also striking legitimate military targets outside Ukraine.”

Lee, Madhani and Miller write for the Associated Press. Lee reported from Prague. Madhani and Miller reported from Washington. AP writer Karel Janicek contributed to this report.

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