Laura Zastrow
Madison's first nominee for "Outstanding Chef" in the James Beard Awards: Chef Tory Miller, at Sujeo.
Madison has had a nice run going in the last few years when it comes to James Beard nominations, establishing itself as an annual power in the Midwest region. This year the city’s profile is even higher, with Tory Miller being the first Madison chef nominated for Outstanding Chef, where he’s up against such stars as Sean Brock of Husk, in Nashville, and Andrew Carmellini of Locanda Verde, in New York City.
Madison nominees for Best Chef: Midwest are Dan Fox of Heritage Tavern, Jonathan Hunter of Underground Food Collective, and Francesco Mangano of Osteria Papavero (making his first appearance on this list).
Miller and Hunter point to a small but perceptible bump in business after a recognition like this. “It definitely is a boost for the restaurant, and that’s really helpful during this time of year. It’s not huge but you can tell,” says Hunter.
But Miller says the real impact is more far-reaching: “With more exposure nationally, more people make a point to come check us out when they come to Madison.”
The announcements of the semifinalists for culinary achievement and food media presented by the James Beard Foundation will be followed in about a month by the finalists, who are selected by a panel of food writers and professionals and past Beard award winners.
Madison, as part of the Midwest Region, is up against cities in Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota (but not Chicago, which is in the “Great Lakes” region). Since 2008, Madison has had at least one chef on the list for “Best Chef: Midwest” every year but one.
In 2011, Tory Miller was a finalist, and in 2012, he won the category. Madison’s only previous win was by Odessa Piper, L’Etoile’s founder, in 2001. The city’s greatest numerical success was in 2013, with six semifinalists named across five categories.
Miller, who as a former winner is ineligible to compete again in the “Best Chef: Midwest” category, says he never even daydreamed about getting on the “Outstanding Chef” list. “I literally didn’t even look at it at first,” he says. “I did my usual, skip to Midwest and New York City. But then my phone started blowin’ up, so I went back and checked.”
Hunter — who, with Fox, was a Midwest semifinalist last year as well — gives a nod to his team at Forequarter. “It’s always nice to get the recognition. It’s hard for us because we really work more as a team, so I always like to make sure they are recognized in this whole process,” he says. Miller, too, credits both front and back of house at L’Etoile for its consistent success.
The nominees for the 2016 James Beard Foundation Awards will be announced on March 15, and the culinary awards gala will be held at the Lyric Opera in Chicago on May 2.
