Latest news with #JamesBeardFoundationAwards
Yahoo
28-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Award-winning Sozai restaurant in Clawson shutters
A notable, small and award-winning sushi restaurant centered on sustainable seafood has permanently closed. Sozai in Clawson's last day of service was Saturday, according to their website. Owner and chef Hajime Sato, reached via email Sunday evening, directed the Free Press to his Instagram and Facebook pages for a statement. The post said that he and his family are returning to the Pacific Northwest. 'After an extended period of reflection, it is clear that the best thing my family is for us to return to the Pacific Northwest,' the post read. Sato, in his social media messages, said it will be 'extremely difficult' to leave Sozai. 'I put everything I had into building something special for my customers and to further my work as a sustainable seafood advocate,' the post read. In 2021, Sato opened the small, 13-seat sushi bar in a W. 14 Mile strip mall. Sato is known for being a steadfast leader and advocate for sustainable sushi, seafood and place of origin fishery movement. Soon after its 2021 opening, Sozai quickly earned accolades and acclaim. Sozai was named the 2022 Detroit Free Pres Restaurant of the Year by Free Press restaurant critic Lyndsay C. Green. The sustainable seafood spot was also named to Bon Appétit's 50 Best New Restaurants 2022 list. Before opening Sozai in 2021, Sato who grew up in Japan, had a restaurant in Seattle for more than 25 years. Related: Clawson sushi chef Hajime Sato wins coveted James Beard Award: Best Chef Great Lakes Grateful for the win, Sato told the Free Press at the time, because it gave him a platform to speak out on ocean sustainability. He delivered that sustainability message during his James Beard Award speach in 2024 and encouraged others to do the same. In accepting his award, Sato's speech included his messages about how James Beard nominations allowed him to speak out on concerns with sustainability and the risks of overfishing. "But something changed after James Beard … people started listening to me. I've been doing ocean conservation and sustainable sushi for 15 years," Sato said. "Oceans (are) not in good shape. As you know, Earth is not in good shape. And a small restaurant like me cannot really do that much. But everybody here … nominations, winners, everybody, now you have a voice, just like I didn't have a voice, but because of James Beard, you have a little bit more voice." It was the second time that Sato was a James Beard finalist. He landed a spot in the 2023 James Beard Foundation Awards category for Outstanding Chef. Sato's win was the first time a Michigan chef earned the honored in the Best Chef category since 2011, according to the James Beard Award website, when Alex Young, formerly of Zingerman's Roadhouse in Ann Arbor, was honored as Best Chef Great Lakes. In 2003, chef Takashi Yagihashi of the former Tribute restaurant in Farmington Hills took home the award for Best Chef: Midwest. Chef Jimmy Schmidt in 1993, then owner of the Rattlesnake Club in Detroit, was named Best Chef: Midwest. At the 2022 Restaurant and Chef Awards, Warda Bouguettaya, owner of Midtown's Warda Pâtisserie, won the title of Outstanding Pastry Chef. Contact Detroit Free Press food and restaurant writer Susan Selasky and send food and restaurant news and tips to: sselasky@ Follow @SusanMariecooks on Twitter. Subscribe to the Free Press. This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Award-winning sushi chef Hajime Sato closes Sozai in Clawson
Los Angeles Times
24-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Acclaimed Heritage Barbecue chef takes on classic diner food in vintage Quonset hut
What happens when one of the country's rising-star barbecue chefs launches a diner? At Santa Ana's new Le Hut Dinette, the latest project from San Juan Capistrano's Heritage Barbecue, seven-day pastrami slides into gooey melty sandwiches and brisket goes into piles of chili cheese fries. 'I've always been a really big fan of the diners, and they're kind of dying off,' says Heritage's pitmaster and co-owner Daniel Castillo. 'You're starting to see a resurgence, but we lose more than we gain right now.' Castillo, who is a nominee for best chef: California in this year's James Beard Foundation Awards, operates his restaurants with his wife, Brenda. When approached about opening their own diner inside a vintage Quonset hut, they jumped at the opportunity and tapped Taco María alum Ryan Garlitos as the executive chef. They've devised a sunny, rotating menu that includes pastrami sandwiches, smoked-turkey clubs and a Cubano made with coppa ham, which, like the pastrami, is cured and smoked at Heritage. Chickens also smoked in San Juan Capistrano get shredded and added to Le Hut's Caesar salads, which are spiked with an anchovy crumble and slices of bright cara cara oranges. For a caffeine fix — a necessity at any diner — there are mugs of $1 Cafe du Monde chicory coffee. On weekend evenings, the menu flips to a more elevated diner that pays homage to the past with more modern techniques. You might find steak Diane with mushroom cream dripping over a 10-ounce New York strip, or a hearty smoked beef rib with a mushroom demi-glace, oregano rice and binchotan-grilled vegetables. Garlitos weaves his Filipino heritage into this menu, as well as other culinary influences such as Japanese or Mexican, a nod to his time at Taco María. Weekend brunch will kick off on Mother's Day weekend. The menu is evolving, but will likely include pancakes and brisket with eggs. While Heritage Barbecue focuses on craft beer, Le Hut Dinette spotlights wine, especially natural wine, with most pours produced in California and Texas. There are also ciders and co-ferments; beer options include the standards one might find at a diner, like Miller Lite. In contrast to what the Castillos describe as the no-frills masculine setting at Heritage Barbecue, the couple wanted to create a more fun, feminine space for the diner: pink terrazzo floors and what Daniel Castillo calls a Wes Anderson color palette. They salvaged booths, formica tables and chairs from shuttered diners in the region and sourced mismatched plates from thrift stores. They scoured eBay for vintage napkin holders. They wanted a cozy and authentic, lived-in feel to their restaurant. 'All this stuff is true to it,' Castillo says. They hope to use the space to host collaborative dinners with other chefs, and already offer items from their next-door neighbor, 61 Hundred Bread (see below). Next year, they plan to expand Le Hut Dinette with an adjacent deli and bodega, selling sandwiches as well as smoked meats by the pound. It's been a busy time for Castillo. In addition to being in the running for the James Beard Foundation Award, earlier this year he quietly exited his business partnership in Oceanside brewhouse Heritage Beer Co., which recently closed and will reopen under a new name sans the Castillos. On May 3, the husband-and-wife duo will launch yet another concept: a casual restaurant at Bolsa Chica State Beach. SeaSalt Smokehouse will offer handheld items such as tri-tip sandwiches and nachos. It is, he admits, a lot happening at once. 'I feel like I'm in the right mind to be able to accomplish these things now, and my wife, of course, is amazing,' says Castillo, who struggled last year with depression and anxiety. 'If it wasn't for her I would not be able to do this, 100%.' Under the pressure to maintain a successful restaurant that garnered national praise, Castillo sought help from his family and took steps that included therapy and quitting drinking. 'I know there are a lot of chefs out there that know exactly what that feels like,' he says. Castillo hopes to use more of his time — and his new diner — to help chefs who might also be struggling with mental health issues. He's hoping to platform and host organizations, such as the Southern Smoke Foundation, which provides resources for members of the restaurant community in need. He's also made mentoring his own chefs more of a priority. 'These guys are the future,' he says. 'I want them to know what I went through and that we should be able to talk about these things.' SeaSalt Smokehouse by Heritage Barbecue at Bolsa Chica State Beach, 18751 Pacific Coast Hwy., Huntington Beach, opens May 3. Le Hut Dinette is open Sunday and Thursday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., and Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 5 to 9 p.m. 730 N. Poinsettia St., Santa Ana, The pastries and loaves of bread are some of the Southland's most creative, with ube cream and blue corn masa peeking through laminated croissant dough and crusty loaves of sourdough. 61 Hundred Bread's chef-founder Karlo Evaristo was raised in the Philippines and named his business in honor of his old zip code. He weaves his heritage through the Santa Ana bakery's offerings with ube cruffins and fresh, fluffy pan de sal. But he also riffs on other cultures' touchstones with large loaves of panettone; pillowy sourdough shokupan; croissants filled with Oaxacan cheese, chile and garlic; sourdough chocolate babka; and Evaristo's signature item, the viral blue corn masa sourdough loaf. Evaristo says he 'went a little crazy during the pandemic' in his obsession with sourdough, and it's what launched 61 Hundred Bread as a cottage business. That quickly ballooned into one of Orange County's most popular pastry go-tos. (Prior to that, he cooked at Studio in Laguna Beach and cropped up in L.A. as one half of pop-up Adia.) In November he opened his first bricks-and-mortar, which draws lines out the door for fresh pastries and ube cream-top lattes. 61 Hundred Bread is open Thursday to Sunday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., or until it sells out. 728 N. Poinsettia St., Santa Ana, (714) 884-4323, One of the South Bay's most famous chefs — whose restaurants include Fishing with Dynamite, Manhattan Beach Post, the Arthur J and RYLA — recently debuted a long-awaited restaurant in Hermosa Beach. David LeFevre tapped Fishing with Dynamite chef Alice Mai to collaborate on AttaGirl, a Mediterranean-leaning restaurant and bar with live-fire cooking and fresh pastas. The chef-partners serve a menu that connects the similar climates of Los Angeles and the Mediterranean Coast. There's fresh pizza with a range of mezze, house-extruded pastas (with clams and anchovy breadcrumbs, or lamb bolognese), farmers market vegetables, show-stopping plates of skewers, and large-format dishes such as chicken tagine and a spiral of spinach feta pie that receives a tableside pour of lemon béchamel. The wines are sourced primarily from the Mediterranean and California, echoing the dinner menu, while cocktails feature ingredients such as limoncello, saffron, hazelnut orgeat and clarified pineapple. AttaGirl is open Sunday to Wednesday from 5 to 10 p.m., and Thursday to Saturday from 5 to 10:30 p.m., with brunch service planned for the future. 1238 Hermosa Ave., Hermosa Beach, (424) 600-2882, One of the city's top taquerías recently expanded with a new location — and an entirely new menu. Villa's Taco's, one of the 101 best restaurants in L.A., unveiled the third bricks-and-mortar restaurant in its expanding chain, but unlike the other Highland Park outpost and the stall in Grand Central Market, Villa's Tacos #3 is all about seafood. The new Highland Park spot takes over the former La Estrella Tacos stand, adding fresh color to the walk-up taqueria with murals dedicated to the Dodgers and Highland Park. The freshly made blue corn tortillas and maximalist ethos found in the first two Villa's restaurants can also be found at #3, though it diverts from char-grilled meats with a seafood-centric menu. There are beer-battered, rice-bran-coated fried fish and shrimp tacos with mango pico de gallo and cabbage in a nod to Baja's taco style, the main inspiration owner-founder Victor Villa turned to when opening this location. There are plates of shrimp with rice, as well as a few vegetarian options and what Villa calls 'fine dining tacos in the hood, with hood prices': Spanish octopus with potato purée and roasted tomatoes ($6), wild-caught mahi mahi with black beans and salsa macha ($5) and a market-price take on surf-and-turf that sport Japanese Wagyu, mahi mahi, bone marrow butter and carrot purée. The salsas are bold, the fish is fried to order and the lines — like the other Villa's — can wrap around the block but still feels like a party. Villa's #3 is open Thursday to Sunday from noon to 9 p.m. 6103 N. Figueroa St., Los Angeles, A pint-size panadería is reimagining classic Mexican pastries with new spins and techniques in Highland Park with fresh conchas, cafecito specials and more. Santa Canela is the latest operation from the team behind Loreto and LA Cha Cha Chá, and is fronted by the aforementioned restaurants' pastry chef. Patina vet Ellen Ramos, who was raised in nearby El Sereno, is now piping conchas with burnt-vanilla chantilly cream; frying to-order custardy-centered churros into the shape of 'L.A.'; and filling fluffy doughnuts with strawberry jam laced with morita chiles for a lingering burn that balances the sweetness. Savory items make an appearance too, with a soyrizo-and-potato croissant; a cecina focaccia sandwich with kale chimichurri; and a chicken tinga tart that's inspired by Ramos' mother's home recipe. The pastries rotate at this 720-square-foot bakery, with more specials available on weekends. To drink, look for burnt-cinnamon lattes and cafe de olla. Santa Canela is open Tuesday to Sunday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. 5601 N. Figueroa St., Unit 120, Los Angeles, There's a new hand roll bar in the Arts District, and while Sama specializes in temaki, the robata is constantly firing with kushiyaki: miso cod, skewers of chicken hearts, pork belly with spicy mustard, beef tongue with yuzu kosho and more fly out from the semi-open kitchen. Other hot plates include tempura, unagi curry and lobster dashi pasta, but a large focus from chef-founder and SBE Group alum Lester Lai is sushi. Sama offers a range of classic hand and cut rolls such as blue crab, yellowtail and salmon, as well as a few signatures, including the Sama, which tops toro and truffled uni with shaved, salted egg yolk. Roll add-ons include caviar, uni and tempura flakes, among others, while sashimi features bluefin tuna with ikura and burrata; salmon carpaccio with yuzu vin; and seared toro with cured egg yolk. Sama is open Tuesday to Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5 to 10 p.m., and Sunday from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5 to 9 p.m. 897 Traction Ave., Los Angeles, (213) 265-7047,
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Mike Stankovich on punk rock, culture and the cocktail you need to try at Longfellow
When Mike Stankovich learned he was a James Beard award finalist, the news came via text message from Wildweed chef and co-owner David Jackman – the only other finalist to hail from Cincinnati this year. Or Ohio, for that matter. "He texted me, 'Where are we getting drinks in Chicago?' That's how I found out," Stankovich confessed on this week's episode of The Enquirer's That's So Cincinnati podcast. Stankovich, owner of Longfellow Bar in Over-the-Rhine and Downtown's Mid-City Restaurant, is a finalist for the new award category of Outstanding Professional in Cocktail Service. He finds out if he wins on June 16 at the James Beard Foundation Awards in Chicago. On the podcast, Stankovich talked about his years as a guitarist in the Washington DC-based punk band Striking Distance (not to be confused with the Bruce Willis movie), how he became a well-known cocktail specialist thanks to a feature in the New York Times, and what led him to Cincinnati. (Spoiler alert: It had to do with a girl.) He also shared the secret behind hiring what Enquirer food writer Keith Pandolfi called 'one of the most enviable staffs in Cincinnati.' 'You know it's cliché, but I'd rather hire someone with a good personality rather than a great skill set," Stankovich said. 'I can teach you skill … then it's kind of just maintaining culture.' Stankovich also revealed his favorite libations at Longfellow and how he really feels about the smoked cocktail trend. That's So Cincinnati, The Enquirer's weekly podcast on what's making news in our community, features a who's who of special guests. Listen to it at Audioboom, Apple or your favorite podcast platform. This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Longfellow owner Mike Stankovich on That's So Cincinnati Podcast
Yahoo
05-04-2025
- Yahoo
Body ID'd as missing woman; mystery food show in RI; Westerly soupy: Top stories this week
Here are some of The Providence Journal's most-read stories for the week of March 30, supported by your subscriptions. Tuesday marked the centennial of the Rhode Island State Police, born in a time of rapid technological advances – radio broadcasts, aviation and automobiles, to name a few. At the 100-year mark, the state police are operating in a similar landscape of high-tech change, with ghost guns, drones, artificial intelligence and internet predators. What will the next century bring? The Journal's Mark Reynolds looks back at key moments in the force's history, and what challenges may lie ahead. Rebounding from their March Madness loss to Michigan State and the news that coach Phil Martelli Jr. was moving on to VCU, Bryant University's men's basketball team announced this week that they've found their new coach. Sportswriter Bill Koch explains what Jamion Christian will bring to the Bulldogs. For that and more and sports news, go to . Providence has a record four chefs and restaurants in the finals for the James Beard Foundation Awards, the Oscars of the food world. Find out who the finalists are, and also which spot has Rhode Island's best zeppole, according to voters in The Journal's bracket challenge. Here are the week's top reads on The remains of a missing 56-year-old Warwick woman have been found in a wooded area near Plainfield Pike in Foster, and the circumstances of her death are suspicious, the state police said Monday. Michele Romano's body was found at the location on Wednesday and a group of investigators from multiple agencies worked together to confirm the identity of the remains. Romano was reported missing by a family member on Aug. 18, state police say. Her last known address was 112 Hazard Ave., Warwick. In a later story, the owner of that home in the Oakland Beach neighborhood told The Journal about his reaction when police notified him that his friend and roommate Romano was dead: "I couldn't move," Charles Parisi said. "It just hit me." Local news: Human remains found in Foster identified as Warwick woman missing since August One of the state's top Republicans wants public housing built in his rural town, though he's not exactly calling it that. House Minority Leader Michael Chippendale says Foster badly needs subsidized housing for elderly residents. And since the market isn't providing that, he's proposing that the town build the units itself. Some might label that socialism. But Chippendale sees it as a small town "taking control of its own destiny, rather than being at the whim of a private entity." Across Rhode Island, the housing crisis isn't letting up. And the idea that the government should create affordable housing – rather than funding it in roundabout ways while outsourcing responsibility to private developers – is gaining traction in some unexpected places. Political Scene explores how the public housing issue is creating common ground for the left and right. Political Scene: Which issue seems to be uniting the political right and left in RI? Public housing. NARRAGANSETT − Is celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay preparing to film a restaurant renovation show in town? Ads posted on social media seem to suggest the possibility. "Eat with us for free," the ad says in all caps. "Come be a part of an exciting televised dining experience for a brand new show in your community." Read the full story to see why Ramsay, star of the Fox reality TV series "Kitchen Nightmares," is a likely contender, and how you can sign up to be a diner during filming at the as-yet-undisclosed Narragansett restaurant. Entertainment: Mystery TV food show is coming to a Narragansett eatery. Here's who it might be. Bryce Hopkins will leave Providence College and spend his final college basketball season with a Big East rival. Hopkins committed to St. John's and will transfer to Queens for an expected fifth year, according to his social media accounts. He will pursue a medical redshirt through the NCAA to replace what was a lost 2024-25 season. Red Storm head coach Rick Pitino made it two straight years securing a standout player from a conference foe. St. John's will be hoping Hopkins can recapture the form that made him one of the league's premier performers before he suffered a major left knee injury in January 2024. Read on to see what the loss means to the Friars, who went just 20-30 in the 50 games Hopkins missed over the last two seasons and missed the NCAA Tournament both years. College sports: Ex-Providence basketball star Bryce Hopkins heads to another Big East team. Which one? What is a soupy? And why is there a documentary about it, a festival celebrating it and a street marker noting that Westerly is the home of it? In one word: tradition. In two words: family heritage. Soupy is the Westerly term, a short nickname, for soppressata, a dry-cured, spicy Italian sausage. It has the texture of a pepperoni or hard salami, but the comparisons end there. Ever since their relatives from Calabria settled in Westerly, families have been gathering in their homes to make soupy together using their family recipes and traditional techniques brought to Rhode Island from southern Italy in the early 1900s. Food editor Gail Ciampa explains why each stick of soupy is as unique as the family that made it. What and Why RI: What's soupy and why is Westerly obsessed with it? The story behind the tradition To read the full stories, go to Find out how to subscribe here. This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Missing woman's body found; food show in Narragansett; Westerly soupy
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Jose Medina Camacho, co-owner of Adios in Birmingham, named James Beard Award finalist
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) — The co-owner of the popular downtown Birmingham cocktail bar, Adios, has been honored as a finalist by one of the most prestigious culinary institutions in the world. Jose Medina Camacho, who serves as beverage director and operating partner for the bar, has been named a James Beard Award finalist in the 'Outstanding Professional in Beverage Service' category. Camacho is one of five people from across the country to receive the honor, as well as the only one from the Southeast. 'Top five in the US, and it is an honor to have him bring his magic right here to Birmingham,' the bar announced on social media Tuesday. 'Let's celebrate him and this thrilling accomplishment ahead of the awards ceremony in Chicago this June.' Originally from Michoacán, Mexico, Medina Camacho came to the United States with his family in 1993 before ultimately settling in Tupelo, Mississippi, where he began working in his family's restaurant. Focusing on mixology and drinks, Medina Camacho handled the drink menus for local establishments like the Little Donkey, Octane, The Marble Ring and Automatic Seafood & Oysters. Medina Camacho and his business partner, Jesús Méndez, opened Adios in 2022. Birmingham has had several restauranteurs, chefs and workers honored by the organization over the years, such as renowned Bottega owner Frank Stitt, Adam Evans of Automatic, Chris Hastings of Hot and Hot Fish Club and The Bright Star in Bessemer. Winners will be revealed at the 2025 James Beard Foundation Awards ceremony on June 16 in Chicago. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
