The James Beard Foundation's book, broadcast and journalism awards were Friday night in Manhattan. As a member of the book committee, I got to be there. The big question of the night was: "Would Ruth Bourdain reveal himself or herself?"
For the non-Twitter users out there, Ruth Bourdain is a twitter personality who combines the airy,ditzy tweets of Ruth Reichl and the humor of Anthony Bourdain. (I'm not joking about Reichl's tweets. Here are a few: "Sleek red fox waltzes on bright green grass. Ears up, he watches cream ribbon onto balsamic-roasted berries. Then fades into the woods." and "Fluffy joyful dog frisks beneath the lilacs. Long walk through the park. Ripe mangoes for breakfast. Now a hotdog. Can't resist." I love her writing but cannot stand her tweets.) When @RuthBourdain's name was announced, the awards crowd hushed a little - not much there was a lot of alcohol being served -- and scanned the room to see if anyone would accept the award. No one did. Ruth Bourdain's identity remains a mystery.
My other favorite moment of the evening was James Villas' acceptance speech. This Charlotte native had never won a James Beard award. He took the stage and announced: "It's about goddamn time."
REMEMBER: Chef Andrea Reusing of Lantern in Chapel Hill is up for Best Chef of the Southeast tonight at the chef's awards. On Twitter, follow #jbfa for updates & @kathleenpurvis who is on the scene.
Here is a complete list of the winners:
American Cooking Cookbook: Pig: King of the Southern Table by James Villas (John Wiley & Sons)
General Cooking Cookbook: The Essential New York Times Cook Book: Classic Recipes for a New Century by Amanda Hesser (W.W. Norton & Company)
M.F.K. Fisher Distinguished Writing Award: Jonathan Gold, LA Weekly, "A Movable Beast"
Audio Webcast or Radio Show: GrapeRadio Graperadio.com, Hosts: Eric Anderson, Brian Clark, and Jay Selman Producers: Mark Ryan and Jay Selman
Television Program, In Studio or Fixed Location: Top Chef: Season 7, Host: Padma Lakshmi, Network: Bravo, Producers: Tom Colicchio, Dan Cutforth, Jane Lipsitz, and Dave Serwatka
Television Program, On Location: Avec Eric, Host: Eric Ripert, Network: PBS, Online, Producers: Justin Barocas, Heather Brown, and Geoffrey Drummond
TV Food Personality/Host: Alton Brown, Show: Good Eats, Network: Food Network
Food Section of a General Interest Publication: San Francisco Chronicle, Jon Bonné and Miriam Morgan
Craig Claiborne Distinguished Restaurant Review: Patric Kuh, Los Angeles "Animal Magnetism," "Making Their Move," "Time for a Redo?"
Group Food Blog: Grub Street New York, Newyork.grubstreet.com, Daniel Maurer, Jenny Miller, and Alan Sytsma
Cookbook Hall of Fame: On Food and Cooking: The Science & Lore of the Kitchen by Harold McGee
Cookbook of the Year: Oaxaca al Gusto: An Infinite Gastronomy by Diana Kennedy
Baking and Dessert: Good to the Grain: Baking with Whole-Grain Flours by Kim Boyce
Beverage: Secrets of the Sommeliers: How to Think and Drink Like the World's Top Wine Professionals by Jordan Mackay and Rajat Parr
Cooking from a Professional Point of View: Noma: Time and Place in Nordic Cuisine
by René Redzepi
Healthy Focus: The Simple Art of EatingWell Cookbook by Jessie Price & the EatingWell Test Kitchen
International: Stir-Frying to the Sky's Edge: The Ultimate Guide to Mastery, with Authentic Recipes and Stories by Grace Young
Photography: Noma: Time and Place in Nordic Cuisine Photographer: Ditte Isager
Reference and Scholarship: Salted: A Manifesto on the World's Most Essential Mineral, with Recipes by Mark Bitterman
Single Subject: Meat: A Kitchen Education by James Peterson
Writing and Literature: Four Fish: The Future of the Last Wild Food by Paul Greenberg
Audio Webcast or Radio Show: CBC Ideas: "Pasta: The Long and Short of It", Host: Megan Williams, Area: Canada and Online, Producers: Susan Mahoney and Megan Williams
TV Food Personality/Host: Alton Brown, Show: Good Eats, Network: Food Network
Television Program, In Studio or Fixed Location: Top Chef: Season 7, Host: Padma Lakshmi, Network: Bravo, Producers: Tom Colicchio, Dan Cutforth, Jane Lipsitz, and Dave Serwatka
Television Program, On Location: Avec Eric, Host: Eric Ripert, Network: PBS, Online, Producers: Justin Barocas, Heather Brown, and Geoffrey Drummond
Television Segment: 60 Minutes: "Chef José Andrés", Host: Anderson Cooper, Network: CBS, Producers: Bill Owens and Kara Vaccaro
Television Special/Documentary: Milk War, Host: Colm Feore, Network: ichannel, Producers: Declan O'Driscoll and Kevin O'Keefe
Video Webcast: GrapeRadio, Graperadio.com, Hosts: Eric Anderson, Brian Clark, and Jay Selman, Producers: Mark Ryan and Jay Selman
Publication of the Year Award: Edible Communities
Cooking, Recipes, or Instruction: Amy Thielen, Minneapolis Star Tribune, "A Good Catch," "Low-Tech Wonder," "From the Bean Patch: Plenty"
Environment, Food Politics, and Policy: Carl Safina, EatingWell, "Sea Change"
Food Culture and Travel: Rick Bragg, Francine Maroukian, and Robb Walsh, Garden & Gun, "The Southerner's Guide to Oysters"
Food-related Columns and Commentary: Tim Carman, Washington City Paper, "Ignore the Pizza Police," "Supply and Da Men," "Schmeer Campaign"
Food-related Feature: Dan Koeppel, Saveur, "Fruit of the Future"
Health and Nutrition: Rachael Moeller Gorman, EatingWell, "Captain of the Happier Meal"
Individual Food Blog: Politics of the Plate, Politicsoftheplate.com, Barry Estabrook
Multimedia Food Feature: Michael Gebert and Julia Thiel, The Chicago Reader, Key Ingredient: "Kluwak Kupas," "Chinese Black Beans," "Geraniums"
Personal Essay: Tom Junod, Esquire. "My Mom Couldn't Cook"
Profile: Benjamin Wallace, New York, "The Restaurant Auteur"
Wine and Spirits: Jon Fine, Food & Wine, "Natural Wine: Weird or Wonderful?"
