Latest news with #Zimmern
Eater
17-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Eater
Dallas Is Shut Out at the James Beard Awards, Except For Cafe Momentum's Chad Houser
On June 16, the 'Oscars of food,' as the James Beard Foundation Awards are colloquially known, went down, and Dallas had one honoree break the city's losing streak of 31 years. Chad Houser, the founder and CEO of Cafe Momentum, accepted the Humanitarian of the Year Award for his work with children and teens who the justice system has impacted. Cafe Momentum will receive $20,000 to continue its work from the Michael Phillips Humanitarian Fund. While introducing him, Andrew Zimmern, chef and host of Bizarre Foods , choked up and dropped an f-bomb. 'What this man does affects me and my family,' Zimmern said. 'It's a personal, personal thing and I'm a huge admirer of this human being and what he's done for so many, especially as a formerly incarcerated person.' Houser's first word after Zimmern put the James Beard medal over his head? 'Fuck.' In his speech, Houser listed his thanks, and said, 'I'm often asked if Cafe Momentum has to be a restaurant and I always say 'Yes.' Our industry is an integral part of every single community across the country. We provide a gathering space to celebrate, to breathe, and sometimes to have a conversation you didn't know you needed to have.' He went on to say that the Beards honor acknowledges that Cafe Momentum can change the outcomes of kids in the justice system 'one meal, one conversation at a time.' Houser turned out to be the only Dallas nominee to bring home an award — despite having the most finalists in the state of Texas, the city was locked out of any other wins. The 2025 James Beard Award finalists from Dallas were Mabo for Best New Restaurant, Bar Colette for Best New Bar, Regino Rojas of Purépecha as Best Chef: Texas, Starship Bagel for Outstanding Bakery, and RJ Yoakum in the Emerging Chef category. On the day of the awards, it was announced that Georgie parted ways with Emerging Chef nominee RJ Yoakum. Each year, the James Beard Foundation recognizes restaurants, bars, and hospitality professionals in categories such as Outstanding Restaurant, Best Chef, and Best New Chef. The first James Beard Awards ceremony was held in 1991, when chefs such as Rick Bayless, Nancy Silverton, and Wolfgang Puck emerged as winners. In recent years, the awards have been under increased scrutiny following the cancellation of its programming in 2020 and 2021 due to allegations of misbehavior and abuse against nominated chefs, as well as a lack of nominated and winning Black chefs in the categories. In response, the James Beard Foundation conducted an internal audit to make its voting processes more inclusive and equitable, with plans to return in 2022. In recent years, the awards have shifted the Best Chef category to a regional model to better recognize the diversity and depth of talent. Disclosure: Some Vox Media staff members are part of the voting body for the James Beard Foundation Awards. See More:
Chicago Tribune
17-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
James Beard Awards 2025: Chefs, celebrities and notable Chicagoans walk the red carpet
To kick off the 2025 James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards red carpet outside the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Kristen Reynolds, the new president and CEO of Choose Chicago, made it loud and clear: Chicago has every intention of keeping the coveted awards in the city. 'We are definitely keeping the James Beard Awards beyond 2027,' Reynolds said while walking the star-studded red carpet. 'I mean, we are the host of 'The Bear!' We have to have the James Beard Awards in Chicago, everybody relates Chicago with cuisine and world-class dining, so it's a perfect location.' This year commemorates the 35th anniversary of the awards, which have been held in Chicago since 2015. The awards are currently slated to be held in Chicago through 2027, a move that was announced in 2018, but there hasn't been official word if it will stay in the city beyond 2027 or move elsewhere. Mayor Brandon Johnson, who walked the red carpet a little after 5:30 p.m. said he will do everything in his power to prioritize keeping the award show in Chicago. 'I know they can go anywhere else in the world, but I think it's only fitting here, particularly a city, that a black Haitian immigrant and a Potawatomi woman established — a city of immigrants from around the world have found refuge here in Chicago. The migration from the South, like my family, the 77 unique neighborhoods, it really is the spices and the different seasonings that are not only on the plates across restaurants in Chicago, but it really reflects the beauty of our city as a whole,' Johnson said. Awards show co-host Andrew Zimmern, best known for shows such as the 'Bizarre Foods' franchise, emphasized the significance of the event, speaking about the diversity of Chicago's culinary scene. Zimmern highlighted the role chefs play in social justice issues, including immigration, food waste, the climate crisis, pay equity, gender equity and healthcare. 'The magic of these awards is that there are a lot of people who have toiled in anonymity for a long time — they're going to win an award tonight and it's going to change their life, it's going to change their business, it's going to change their community, and it's going to change our country for the better,' Zimmern said on the red carpet. 'And what's going to happen is we're going to have more advocates out there who are winners, who people are going to pay attention to. We're going to have more hopeful warriors on our side. We can sit here in despair about the national issues at hand that negatively affect us, but I truly believe that the antidote to despairing is hope.' Zimmern noted chefs such as Jose Andres, who have been actively involved in providing humanitarian aid to individuals worldwide, including Palestinians in Gaza. The crowded red carpet was a proud moment for several Chicago nominees, including Thai Dang of HaiSous for the Best Chef: Great Lakes category, who expressed immense joy at being named a finalist. Dang has been a semifinalist in the Great Lakes category four times. 'I'm feeling incredible, honestly it's an incredible freaking feeling,' Dang said. 'To finally make it and be here on this red carpet and walk among great people that have been doing this for years, it's such an incredible honor. I don't care to win or lose, I feel like a million bucks. I feel like I've won.'
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
The Best Chef-Approved Midwestern Pizza Comes...From This Gas Station?
If you think about it, pizza tells the most beautiful immigrant tale. What started out with very humble beginnings in Naples, Italy traveled across the ocean, landed in America and did the impossible. Not only did it survive but wait for it, pizza thrived and became a staple food across the country. (Could pizza be the culinary peer of Alexander Hamilton?) From New Haven clam pizzas to Chicago deep-dish and Detroit-style pan pizza to the oh-so-controversial Hawaiian, everyone has a different regional claim to what the best pizza should be. And Midwesterners are no exception. If you crave a solid pizza in the heartland (outside of Chicago), there's a high chance you'll get in your car and head straight to the bright red-roofed building of your local Casey's gas station. Related: Founded in 1959, Casey's is the third-largest convenience store retailer and the fifth-largest pizza chain in the United States. Casey's has a devout following, and for good reason. Chief among them? Casey's iconic made-from-scratch Midwestern-style pizzas. Ask anyone who's road-tripped through Kansas or Iowa and they'll tell you a pizza pit stop at Casey's is a must. Even celebrity chef Andrew Zimmern is a huge fan of Casey's pizza. 'I love gas station food and have tasted three lifetimes' worth throughout my travels, and Casey's pizza rises to the top,' Zimmern told Parade in an exclusive interview. And Zimmern is far from the only fan. The pizzas are so beloved that in 2024, Casey's sold 45 million pizzas. Related: 😋😋SIGN UP to get delicious recipes, handy kitchen hacks & more in our daily Pop Kitchen newsletter. 🍳🍔 Casey's pizza isn't just regarded as the best gas station pizza in the Midwest. It's regarded as the best pizza in the Midwest—full stop. And like any good pizza, the magic comes down to the dough, which is made fresh every morning by the kitchen team working at every Casey's location. "Pizza comes down to the crust. If the crust isn't good, there's no saving the pizza," Zimmern explains to Parade. "You can put the most artisanal, glorious stuff on there and I would say you're ruining those glorious artisanal ingredients because the platform isn't right. It's like having bad rice with sushi." The love and attention to detail Casey's puts into every pizza is why it stands out in a noisy market of mass-market chain pizzas. As a Casey's fan and brand collaborator, Zimmern has visited Casey's locations to see how the pies are made. "They (the kitchen team) are docking the dough (putting holes in it) and what that does is promote even cooking. Better ingredients, smarter cooking. It's really a Midwestern icon," he says. Related: Casey's offers a variety of classic pizza toppings, like sausage and pepperoni, plus specialty pies, including BBQ Chicken and Taco Pizza, but the Breakfast Pizza is probably the pizza the chain is most known for. It's a fan favorite and comes loaded with scrambled eggs and cheese, topped with your choice of bacon, sausage or vegetables. Every so often, Casey's will also offer limited-edition pizzas. And this year, just in time for National Barbecue Day, the regional chain is bringing back its beloved BBQ Brisket Pizza. Related: Casey's BBQ Brisket Pizza features their signature made-from-scratch dough topped with Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce, mozzarella and cheddar cheeses, jalapeños, red onions and a creamy ranch dressing drizzle. The star of the pie is the double-hardwood, pit-smoked beef brisket that's dry-rubbed, slow-smoked for up to 16 hours, hand-trimmed and piled high for a smoky, savory bite in every slice. 'Their homemade pizza is packed with big flavors, unique textures and fresh ingredients. The BBQ Brisket Pizza is a perfect example of that," says Zimmern. "I can't wait for their guests to rediscover it this summer. Gas station pizza is my guilty pleasure—been saying it for about 20 years—and Casey's is simply the best.'
New York Post
17-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Gas station food is ‘extraordinary' and ‘hiding in plain sight,' says top chef
Gas station food is as much a slice of American cuisine as a single serving of pizza, according to one celebrity chef. In an interview with Fox News Digital, chef Andrew Zimmern, based in Minnesota, said he's spent the better part of 25 years traveling the country in a van. 'I'm not sure there's someone else alive who's probably stopped as many places to eat as I have in the last two-and-a-half decades,' he said. That's what Zimmern said makes him qualified to vouch for gas station food, which he believes is more appealing to hungry Americans than it may appear. He's now partnered with the Iowa-based Casey's gas stations to promote their new barbecue brisket pizza. 'I really think that what it has to do with is our own sense of adventure,' Zimmern said. 'We don't have to cross the ocean on a 19th-century tramp steamer to have an adventure. We can walk into some place and try a regional food or a regional treat that happens to be for sale in that particular shop and have just as much of a warm, fuzzy feeling.' 4 Gas station food is as much a slice of American cuisine as a single serving of pizza, according to celebrity chef Andrew Zimmern. FOX News 4 But good gas station food goes beyond just pizza, Zimmern said. Andriy Blokhin – The chef praised the new barbecue brisket pizza at Casey's, which he touted for its 'real, wholesome ingredients, stuff I'm happy to feed my family.' He added, 'And by the way, in today's price-conscious world, there should be a pizza that's a whole pizza that can feed a family of four people really easily and not cost you a million dollars.' But good gas station food goes beyond just pizza, he said. 4 Zimmern said traveling on the road makes him qualified to vouch for gas station food, which he believes is more appealing to hungry Americans than it may appear. billtster – 'When you're in Arizona and you have a breakfast burrito at a gas station with three grandmas in the back rolling up homemade chorizo with eggs and crispy potatoes and handing them to you, you are in a very, very, very special place, and you're about to eat something really extraordinary – and they're all hiding in plain sight.' Zimmern also makes no apologies about eating what he wants when he's on the road. 'You try to maintain your healthy lifestyle up until the time that you have a cheat moment or a cheat day,' he admitted. 4 'We don't have to cross the ocean on a 19th-century tramp steamer to have an adventure. We can walk into some place and try a regional food or a regional treat that happens to be for sale in that particular shop and have just as much of a warm, fuzzy feeling,' Zimmern said. Joni – 'If I drank slushies and ate pizza three meals a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year, I'm not sure it would really be great for me,' he said. 'That said, I choose not to live in a world where I need to not eat pizza. I choose to live in a world where I get to eat pizza when I want, and I get to have an orange slushy made with my favorite Mexican soda brand.'
