James Beard Awards snub San Antonio yet again
Why it matters: San Antonio has never won a James Beard Award, long considered the Oscars of the culinary world.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Miami Herald
7 hours ago
- Miami Herald
This Miami restaurant has a Michelin star and an award-winning chef. Now it's closing
Another Michelin-starred Miami restaurant is closing, this one from a celebrated James Beard Award-winning chef. Itamae Ao, the stunning 10-seat Peruvian-Japanese restaurant in Midtown from Chef Nando Chang, has announced that it's closing, with the final service Saturday, Aug. 2. The announcement comes a month after Maty's, the Peruvian restaurant operated by Chang's sister Valerie, also a James Beard Award winner, shut down. Itamae Ao's future was immediately uncertain: It's accessed through the adjoining Maty's space, and with Maty's closure, there was no way for customers to enter the smaller restaurant. Chang, who said he is looking for a new home for his award-winning concept, said he was grateful for 'the great run we've had in this special space.' 'Itamae AO has always been closely tied to Maty's — not just because my sister was its chef but because it literally serves as the entrance to our restaurant,' he said. 'When she stepped away, we knew it would soon be time for us to move on as well. Itamae AO isn't going away, and I'm excited to find our new home.' This summer, while he actively seeks a new space, Chang plans to take Itamae on the road with pop-ups in Milwaukee and New York City. The Changs entered the Miami restaurant industry with their father Fernando, operating the original Itamae counter at a Design District food hall. Later, they opened the restaurant as a standalone. Valerie Chang went on to open Maty's, earning the James Beard Award for Best Chef: South in 2024; her brother earned the same award in 2025, a two months after Itamae Ao earned a Michelin star. The guide praised Chang's skill with classic Peruvian-Japanese flavors. 'Searing levels of acidity and spice figure prominently on this bold tasting menu, often in the form of leche de tigre,' the guide says. 'From lobster bisque with sweet potato gnocchi to creamy rice with Hokkaido scallops and parmesan, the cooking possesses style and substance in spades.' At the Michelin ceremony in Orlando, Chang delivered an emotional speech, thanking his family and the city where he has found a home. 'I want to say I could not be prouder . . . to be a part of this beautiful country,' he said. 'Thank you, America, and thank you, Miami. ' He also thanked the James Beard Foundation for their commitment to diversity: 'All food is immigrant and immigrants make America great.'
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Yahoo
Jennifer Hudson, Aaron Pierre, Jelly Roll, Ayesha Curry & Others Join Sony Animation Pic ‘Goat'
EXCLUSIVE: Jennifer Hudson, Aaron Pierre, Jelly Roll, Ayesha Curry, Andrew Santino, Bobby Lee Sherry Cola and Eduardo Franco are set to join the voice cast of the Sony Animation pic Goat. They join previously announced cast Stephen Curry, Caleb McLaughlin, Gabrielle Union, Nick Kroll, Nicola Coughlan, David Harbour, Jenifer Lewis and Patton Oswalt. The animated sports comedy is directed by Tyree Dillihay and co-directed by Adam Rosette. More from Deadline Stephen Curry, Caleb McLaughlin, Gabrielle Union, & Nick Kroll Set For Voice Cast Of Sony Pictures Animation's Sports-Themed Movie 'Goat'– Annecy 2025-26 Awards Season Calendar: Dates For Emmys, Oscars, Grammys & More Marvel's 'Eyes Of Wakanda' Gets Trailer & Earlier Release Date At Disney+; Full Voice Cast Revealed The film is an original action comedy set in an all-animal world. The story follows Will, a small goat with big dreams who gets a once-in-a-lifetime shot to join the pros and play roarball — a high-intensity, co-ed, full-contact sport dominated by the fastest, fiercest animals in the world. Will's new teammates aren't thrilled about having a little goat on their roster, but Will is determined to revolutionize the sport and prove once and for all that 'smalls can ball.' In collaboration with the NBA, Sony Pictures Animation will release Goat theatrically on February 13, timed to the NBA All-Star Weekend in Los Angeles. The film is produced by Stephen Curry and Erick Peyton of Unanimous Media, Michelle Raimo Kouyate, Adam Rosenberg, and Rodney Rothman of Modern Magic. David Schulenburg serves as co-producer, with Rick Mischel and Fonda Snyder executive producers. 'Directing voice actors for animation is like conducting musicians in an orchestra and Goat is the symphony,' said Dillihay and Rosette. 'We are extremely blessed to be directing this incredible cast bringing charisma, creativity and comedy to our love letter to the underdog.' Said Peyton and Curry: 'We're thrilled to keep building an incredible roster of talent that brings the characters of Goat to life. Goat is a high-energy, laugh-out-loud adventure filled with heart, and we hope audiences will see themselves in these characters. And the best part? We're just getting started.' Hudson is represented by CAA and Original Project. Peirre is represented by WME, Anonymous Content, and Hamilton Hodell, Sloane Offer Weber & Dern. Jelly Roll is represented by CAA, Left Right and 1220 Entertainment. Ayesha Curry is represented by CAA and Midnight Dawn. Santino is represented by UTA. Lee is represented by CAA and Leviton Management. Franco is represented by UTA and Mosaic. Cola is represented by CAA and Stark Management. Best of Deadline 2025 TV Series Renewals: Photo Gallery 2025-26 Awards Season Calendar: Dates For Emmys, Oscars, Grammys & More 2025 TV Cancellations: Photo Gallery
Eater
8 hours ago
- Eater
Burrito Beach Marks 30 Years With Limited Edition Burritos From a Power-Packed Chef Lineup
is the James Beard Award-winning regional editor for Eater's Midwest region, and in charge of coverage in Chicago, Detroit, and the Twin Cities. He's a native Chicagoan and has been with Eater since 2014. Homegrown restaurant chains don't often last three decades in Chicago, but that's the milestone Burrito Beach will celebrate this summer. The quick-service chain — with seven locations in places like Lincoln Park and inside Northwestern Memorial Hospital's food court — has endured, giving Chicagoans options that cover a variety of dietary needs. Over those 30 years, Burrito Beach CEO and founder Greg Schulson has seen Chicago's understanding of Mexican food grow as he witnessed the rise of local chefs who proved to Midwesterners that there was more to Mexican food than just burritos and tacos. Burrito Beach's first location opened in 1995 at Lake and Dearborn, and it started as an assembly-line wrap concept. Though Chicago has a large Mexican community, chains often defined what Mexican food was to many outsiders. Chicago knows names like Pepe's and Chi-Chi's, but more casual options, like Taco Bell and Chipotle, which was founded in 1993, cast long shadows. Burrito Beach debuted with an emphasis on wraps, tiptoeing around using the word 'burrito,' a word with very specific connotation to locals in the '90s. Late-night lines routinely formed after the bars closed at places like Taco Burrito Palace No. 2, and recent college grads expected gut bombs with 'burritos as big as your head' from dives like La Bamba. 'I came up with this idea of, sort of this gourmet burrito concept that kind of took, like the spices and the flavors of Mexico and sort of the creativity of California, and we put them together,' Schulson says. 'And that was effectively what a wrap was back then.' As Americans began folding Mexican cuisine into everyday life rather than treating burritos and tacos as specialty items, Schulson says Burrito Beach ditched the wraps and embraced being a 'Mexican grill,' which served affordable food with better ingredients: 'We really do cooking at our restaurants,' Schulson says. '...I don't think a lot of our competitors necessarily do.' Affordability is especially important now, even as Trump's tariffs threaten to increase prices: 'No one wants to pay $17 for a burrito,' Schulson adds. This 2002 photo featured an all-star lineup of chefs who collaborated with Burrito Beach. Burrito Beach would also collaborate in 2002 with local chefs on limited-edition items. Chefs like Publican chef Paul Kahan and Spring chef Shawn McLain crafted their own burritos. To mark the 30th anniversary, Kahan is again teaming up with Burrito Beach, along with Thattu chef Margaret Pak and Parachute chef Beverly Kim (see below). Proceeds will benefit a charity of the chefs' choice, and the promotions go from August through January. Burrito Beach's recipes come from David Schy, a former corporate chef with Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises who worked under legendary chef Jean Banchet as a cook at Le Francais in suburban Wheeling. He's come up with ideas like a current special, a fried fish taco inspired by a Chicago dog. Somedays they'll offer barbecue beef or Buffalo chicken. Schulson, a native of suburban Glencoe, is a past chairman of the Illinois Restaurant Association. He's aware of dining trends and news. He indirectly mentions a 2017 story out of Portland, Oregon, when a pair of white women closed their burrito shop after they bragged about stealing recipes from Mexican women. The story drew cries of cultural appropriation, and that's something Schulson is sensitive toward. 'We're not pretending to be something we're not,' Schulson says, noting items like a Buffalo chicken bowl are far from traditional. 'I grew up loving Mexican food… I could eat this food every day. I'm not Mexican, but it doesn't mean I don't love the food, it doesn't mean I don't care about doing it right.' Chef Paul Kahan's spicy steak burrito with marinated sirloin steak, Guajillo chile sauce, white rice, black beans, pico de gallo, pickled red onions, and whole cilantro. Burrito Beach/Kristen Mendiola Media Thattu chef Margaret Pak's burrito with masala Kashmiri chile char-grilled chicken, tamarind-date chutney, garlic confit raita, white rice, cilantro slaw, and pickled red onions. Chef Beverly Kim's bibimbap steak burrito with thin-sliced bulgogi, kimchi fried rice, chipotle-gochujang, marinated cabbage, and pickled red onions. Burrito Beach/Kristen Mendiola Media Burrito Beach 30th Anniversary Celebrity Chef Burritos Starting in August, Burrito Beach will celebrate 30 years with special limited-time-only burritos from Paul Kahan, Margaret Pak, and Beverly Kim. For Kahan, the One Off Hospitality co-founder, it represents a return as he was a part of a collaboration back in 1993. Pak, chef and owner at Thattu in Avondale, will follow. Pak's connection comes through her love of Ketch On Fire, a spicy ketchup brand in which Greg Schulson and chef David Schy are partners. Pak's first food job was with the brand, and it grew out of passion; she caught the company's attention after maintaining an unauthorized fan page. Parachute HiFi's Beverly Kim rounds out the chef lineup. Kim lacks a direct connection to the brand, but Schulson and company have long been fans of Kim's Michelin-starred Korean American food. See details of the three burritos below. Proceeds will benefit a charity of the chef's choice Paul Kahan's spicy steak burrito, available from Monday, August 4, through the end of September. Margaret Pak's masala chicken burrito, available from October through November. Beverly Kim's bibimbap steak burrito, available from December through January.
