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Since 1991 the James Beard Foundation has been honoring the best chefs and restaurants in the country with the prestigious James Beard Foundation Awards. For this guide we asked past JBF Award winners from our regional Best Chef in America categories about the food at their own restaurants. They told us, in their own words, what their favorites dishes are and which foods best represent their culinary style.
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Red Wine Risotto with Parmigiano-Reggiano @ Cafe Juanita
9702 Northeast 120th Place Kirkland, WA
2008’s Best Chef: Northwest winner Holly Smith says she nearly always recommends the red wine risotto to diners when it’s on the menu at her restaurant Cafe Juanita in the Seattle suburb of Kirkland. She calls it a “must have course”.
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Foie Gras @ Cafe Juanita
9702 Northeast 120th Place Kirkland, WA
The preparation of this unctuous protein changes with the season, but two things that always accompany Smith’s foie gras are cacao nibs and candied ginger. In the summer nectarines might make an appearance, while in the winter months a flaky onion crostata perfects the dish.
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Prosciutto-Wrapped Washington Rabbit @ Crush
2319 E Madison St Seattle, WA
Jason Wilson took home the award for Best Chef: Northwest in 2010 for his Modern American cooking at Crush in Seattle. Infused with French touches, his cuisine highlights a passion for local ingredients and simplicity. The prosciutto-wrapped rabbit is a dish Wilson loves. “We use the entire animal and multiple techniques in a seasonal preparation. It truly showcases our farmers, growers, and producers.”
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Local Seafood @ Tilth
1411 N 45th St Seattle, WA
If you’re seeking abundantly fresh seafood, look no further than Maria Hines’s Tilth. The winner of the 2009 Best Chef: Northwest award, Hines says her goal is to “have guests who dine at Tilth feel a sense of place on their plate.” Whether you’re eating pan-seared Alaskan sablefish with celery heart, celery root, and granny smith apple or Penn Cove mussels with Yukon gold potato, lardons, and grilled bread, you’re experiencing the bounty of the Northwest.
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Yellowtail Crudo with Preserved Lemon, Greeen Olives, and Fennel @ Lark
926 12th Ave Seattle, WA
John Sundstrom won the Best Chef: Northwest award in 2007 for his elegant European food in Seattle. This crudo has been on the menu since Lark’s inception and is one of his and his diners’ favorite dishes. “I wanted to serve a raw yellowtail dish as a nod to my early experience Japanese training and the clarity and precision of Japanese cuisine,” Sundstrom explains, “But I had decided that Lark would focus primarily on a Western Europe palate of flavors. This flavor combination seemed like a great way to bridge the gap.”
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Bluebird Grain Farms Farro @ Lark
926 12th Ave Seattle, WA
The star of this dish is the farro and the small Washington farm that produces it. “I met the Lucy family at a farmer/chef conference. They talked about growing farro in Mazama, Washington, I placed a small order right there and then, and have been going through a couple hundred pounds per year ever since,” Sundstrom says, “Diners are always blown away at how delicious and satisfying it is. It's the dish I get the most recipe requests for.” Depending on the season you might stinging nettles and morels, cherry tomatoes and corn, lobster mushrooms and squash, or red wine–braised salsify and black truffles as the toppings and mix-ins of this soul-satisfying grain.
