Category: Awards & Accolades

🍹 Congrats to several Phoenix bars and bartenders named among 10 finalists in their respective categories in Tales of the Cocktail Foundation’s 18th annual Spirited Awards, the Oscars of the bar industry: U.S. Bartender of the Year: Nicole Giampino of

🥈 Congrats to Queen Creek Olive Mill, which won a silver award for its Estate Extra Virgin Olive Oil at the New York International Olive Oil Competition, the world’s largest and most prestigious olive oil contest. QCOM previously won a

🍸 The Tales of the Cocktail Foundation has announced the first round of nominees for its 2024 Spirited Awards, one the the highest honors in the bar business. Five Phoenix bars made U.S. West regional lists of top 10 nominees:

Arizona has two finalists in the 2024 James Beard Awards, the so-called ‘‘Oscars of the food and beverage industry.’’ Who are they? Crystal Kass of Valentine in Phoenix is one of five finalists for the country’s Outstanding Pastry Chef or

🏆 The Gastronomic Union of Tucson (GUT), a collective of more than three dozen chefs from Arizona’s second-largest city, won best of show at the 15th annual Devour Culinary Classic at the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix on Saturday. GUT’s team

🏅 For the second straight year, Arizona has 12 semifinalists for James Beard Awards, the culinary world’s version of the Oscars. Let’s hope they fare better than last year’s semifinalists, none of whom made the finals. 2024 semifinalists Outstanding Restaurateur:

🏆 Chilte, a former Mexican pop-up concept that opened a bricks-and-mortar restaurant in February at the Egyptian Motor Hotel in downtown Phoenix, has been named one of The 24 Best New Restaurants of 2023 by Bon Appetit. ‘‘Owners Lawrence Smith

🏆🍹 Century Grand, the immersive three-bar concept in Phoenix, was named Best U.S. Cocktail Bar at the Tales of the Cocktail Foundation’s 17th annual Spirited Awards, the Oscars of the bar industry, in New Orleans. The concept: Century Grand, located

12 West Brewing won a gold medal and Grand Canyon Brewing earned a silver and two bronzes at the U.S. Open Beer Championship in Oxford, Ohio. Arizona medal winners and categories: 🥇 Gold: Smooth Transitions, 12 West Brewing, Mesa, in

🍕 Three Valley pizzerias again are among the top 50 in the United States according to 2023 rankings by 50 Top Pizza, a pizza evaluation website based in Italy. Pizzeria Bianco in Phoenix rose to No. 6, after being ranked

The Valley was completely shut out – going 0 for 9 – when finalists for the 2023 James Beard Foundation Awards were announced this morning. Nine local chefs or restaurants were among 20 semifinalists in various award categories at the

Silvana Salcido Esparza (pictured) from Barrio Café in Phoenix has been named one of 20 nationwide semifinalists for Outstanding Chef in the 2023 James Beard Foundation Awards, the culinary world’s equivalent of the Oscars. In addition, five Valley chefs are

Cuisine & Wine Bistro, the family-owned and -operated restaurant and wine bar in south Chandler, has received Wine Spectator magazine’s ‘‘Award of Excellence’’ for the second consecutive year. Award requirements: Restaurants earn this distinction by having a wine list featuring

Four Arizona restaurants – two in Phoenix, one in  Chandler, and one in Tucson – have made the New York Times’ annual list of the ‘‘50 places in America we’re most excited about right now’’: Bacanora: Chef Rene Andrade’s year-old

Vegan restaurant Beaut Burger has won some national acclaim for having one of the 16 “Best Veggie Burgers in America,” according to TastingTable.com. The burger: Simply labeled Burger B9 on the menu, it’s made with roasted eggplant, pepita pesto, and

Chris Bianco, owner of Pizzeria Bianco, Pane Bianco, and Tratto in Phoenix, was named the country’s Outstanding Restaurateur at the 2022 James Beard Foundation Awards, the culinary world’s equivalent of the Oscars, tonight in Chicago. The Bronx-born Bianco previously won a

Bacanora, an informal Mexican restaurant that’s captivated Valley diners with chef René Andrade’s Sonoran comfort food, fell short in its bid to win Best New Restaurant at the 2022 James Beard Foundation Awards, the Oscars of the culinary world, tonight

Giovanni Scorzo, owner of Andreoli Italian Grocer in Scottsdale, fell short in his bid to win Best Chef Southwest at the 2022 James Beard Foundation Awards, the Oscars of the culinary world, today in Chicago. Scorzo was one of five

Don Guerra, owner and head baker at Barrio Bread in Tucson, has won the 2022 James Beard Foundation Award for Outstanding Baker. The Tempe native, who opened Barrio Bread in his garage in 2009, is the first Arizona baker to

Tucson is among ‘‘America’s seven most exciting up-and-coming destinations for food lovers,’’ according to the May issue of Food & Wine Magazine. The article, ‘‘The Next Great Food Cities,’’ cites Tucson’s tortillas, bread, and chocolate, among other things. The list