Game Show Network and the producers of The Great Food Truck Race, are casting for a new show called “Beat The Chefs,” which will allow home cooks to go up against some of the best chefs in the business, battle it out in the kitchen, and win some cold, hard cash.

Whether you are a chili cook-off champion, the queen of the bake sale, or just a whiz in the kitchen, now is your chance to see if your signature dish has what it takes to compete with our professional chefs. Gather up two of your family members or best friends as your sous chefs and pick the dish that you know will leave the judges begging for more.

They are looking for fun, outgoing teams of all ages. If you love to cook, have a competitive spirit, and think you have a winning dish, email BeatTheChefs@rrstaff.com.

Include include your name, age, current city, contact info, photo, two proposed teammates (and their photos), with a description of your signature dish.

Hosted by chef and television personality Alton Brown at Lincoln Center’s Avery Fisher Hall, awards in the Restaurant and Chef and the Design and Graphics categories were presented as well as a number of special achievement awards including Who’s Who of Food & Beverage in America, America’s Classics, Lifetime Achievement, and Humanitarian of the Year.

Winners of the Foundation’s annual Book, Broadcast, and Journalism Awards were presented on May 4 at the ceremony and dinner at Gotham Hall in New York City, co-hosted by celebrity chef Michael Symon and CBS News Correspondent Martha Teichner.

Here are the winners:

Outstanding Chef: Daniel Humm (Eleven Madison Park, NYC)
Outstanding Restaurant: Boulevard (San Francisco)
Rising Star Chef: Christina Tosi (Momofuku Milk Bar, NYC)
Best New Restaurant: Next (Chicago)
In addition, special achievement award honorees included:
Who’s Who of Food & Beverage in America: Grant Achatz (Chef and Author, Chicago); Mark Bittman (Journalist and Author, NYC); Dana Cowin (Editor and Journalist, NYC); Emily Luchetti (Pastry Chef and Author, San Francisco); Marvin Shanken (Publisher, NYC)
America’s Classics: The Fry Bread House (Owner: Cecelia Miller, Phoenix); Nora’s Fish Creek Inn (Owners: Nora Tygum, Trace Tygum, and Kathryn Tygum Taylor, Wilson, WY); St. Elmo Steak House (Owners: Stephen Huse and Craig Huse, Indianapolis); Jones Bar-B-Q Diner (Owners: James and Betty Jones, Marianna, AR); Shady Glen (Owners: William and Annette Hoch, Manchester, CT)
Lifetime Achievement Award: Wolfgang Puck (Chef and Restaurateur, Los Angeles)
Humanitarian of the Year: Charlie Trotter (Chef and Restaurateur, Chicago)

Cookbook of the Year: Modernist Cuisine by Nathan Myhrvold with Chris Young and Maxime Bilet (The Cooking Lab)
Cookbook Hall of Fame: Laurie Colwin, Home Cooking and More Home Cooking
Publications of the Year: Food52, Amanda Hesser and Merrill Stubbs and Darra Goldstein, Gastronomica
MFK Fisher Distinguished Writing Award: John T. Edge, Saveur “BBQ Nation”
Radio Show or Audio Webcast: Fear of Frying: Culinary Nightmares, Host: Nina Barrett, Area: WBEZ, Producer: Jason Marck
Television Program, In Studio or Fixed Location: Chopped, Host: Ted Allen and Judges, Network: Food Network, Producers: Linda Lea, Dave Noll, and Vivian Sorenson
Television Program, On Location: Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern, Host: Andrew Zimmern, Network: Travel Channel, Producer: Andrew Zimmern
Media Personality/Host: Ted Allen, Show: Chopped, Food Network
Food Coverage in a General Interest Publication: Lesley Bargar Suter, Los Angeles, “Chinese Food in L.A.,” “It’s Time for Breakfast in L.A.” “Food Lovers Guide”
Craig Claiborne Distinguished Restaurant Review: Alan Richman, GQ, “The Very Tasty Liberation of Paris,” “I Heart SF,” “Diner for Schmucks”
Group Food Blog: The Salt: NPR’s Food Blog, Maria Godoy, npr.org/blogs/thesalt
Individual Food Blog: Poor Man’s Feast, Elissa Altman, Poormansfeast.com “Craving the Food of Depravity”
2012 James Beard Foundation Awards Winners
A New Turn in the South: Southern Flavors Reinvented for Your Kitchen, by Hugh Acheson
(Clarkson Potter)
Baking and Dessert
Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams at Home, by Jeni Britton Bauer (Artisan)

Beverage
Bitters: A Spirited History of a Classic Cure-All, with Cocktails, Recipes, & Formulas
by Brad Thomas Parsons (Ten Speed Press)

General Cooking
Ruhlman’s Twenty, by Michael Ruhlman(Chronicle Books)

Focus on Health
Super Natural Every Day: Well-Loved Recipes from My Natural Foods Kitchen by Heidi Swanson (Ten Speed Press)

International
The Food of Morocco by Paula Wolfert (Ecco)

Photography

Notes from a Kitchen: A Journey Inside Culinary Obsession Artist/Photographer: Jeff Scott (Tatroux)

Reference and Scholarship

Turning the Tables: Restaurants and the Rise of the American Middle Class, 1880–1920 by Andrew P. Haley (The University of North Carolina Press)

Single Subject

All About Roasting by Molly Stevens (W.W. Norton & Company)

Writing and Literature

Blood, Bones & Butter: The Inadvertent Education of a Reluctant Chef
by Gabrielle Hamilton (Random House)

2012 James Beard Foundation Design and Graphics Awards

Outstanding Restaurant Design

2012 James Beard Foundation Journalism Awards

For articles published in English in 2011.

Publications of the Year

Food52, Amanda Hesser and Merrill Stubbs
Gastronomica, Darra Goldstein

Cooking, Recipes, or Instruction

Anna Thomas, EatingWell “The Soup for Life,”

Environment, Food Politics, and Policy

Ben Paynter, Fast Company, “The Sweet Science”

Food Coverage in a Food-Focused Publication

Saveur, James Oseland

Food Coverage in a General-Interest Publication

Lesley Bargar Suter, Los Angeles, “Chinese Food in L.A.,” “It’s Time for Breakfast in L.A,” “Food Lovers Guide”

Food Culture and Travel

Fuchsia Dunlop, The Financial Times, “Global Menu: Kicking Up a Stink”

Food-Related Columns

Lettie Teague, The Wall Street Journal, On Wine: Lettie Teague: “Drink, Memory: How to Remember that Wine;” “In Praise of the One-Cabernet Lunch;” “May I recommend: Lessons of Great Sommeliers”

Group Food Blog

The Salt: NPR’s Food Blog, Maria Godoy, npr.org/blogs/thesalt

Health and Well-Being

Maureen O’Hagan, The Seattle Times, “Feeling the Weight: The Emotional Battle to Control Kids’ Diet”

Humor

Brett Martin, GQ, “The Hangover Part III”

Individual Food Blog

Poor Man’s Feast, Elissa Altman, Poormansfeast.com, “Craving the Food of Depravity”

Personal Essay

Cal Fussman, Esquire.com, “Drinking at 1,300 Ft: A 9/11 Story About Wine and Wisdom”

Profile

Susan Choi, Food & Wine, “The Spice Wizardry of Lior Lev Sercarz”

Visual Storytelling

Landon Nordeman, Saveur, “Soul of Sicily,” “BBQ Nation,” “Heart of the Valley”

Wine, Spirits, and Other Beverages

Sarah Karnasiewicz, Imbibe, “Fizzy Business”

Special/Documentary (Television or Video Webcast)

A Matter of Taste: Serving Up Paul Liebrandt Network: HBO

2012 James Beard Foundation Restaurant and Chef Awards

Best Chefs in America

Chefs who have set new or consistent standards of excellence in their respective regions. Each candidate may be employed by any kind of dining establishment and must have been a working chef for at least the past 5 years. The 3 most recent years must have been spent in the region where the chef is presently working.

Best Chef: Great Lakes (IL, IN, MI, OH)
Bruce Sherman, North Pond, Chicago

Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic (D.C., DE, MD, NJ, PA, VA)
Maricel Presilla, Cucharamama, Hoboken, NJ

Best Chef: Midwest (IA, KS, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD, WI)
Tory Miller, L’Etoile, Madison, WI

Best Chef: New York City (Five Boroughs)
Michael Anthony, Gramercy Tavern

Best Chef: Northeast (CT, MA, ME, NH, NY STATE, RI, VT)

Tim Cushman, O Ya, Boston

Best Chef: Northwest (AK, ID, MT, OR, WA, WY)
Matt Dillon, Sitka & Spruce, Seattle

Best Chef: Pacific (CA, HI)
Matt Molina, Osteria Mozza, Los Angeles

Best Chef: South (AL, AR, FL, LA, MS)
Chris Hastings, Hot and Hot Fish Club, Birmingham, AL

Best Chef: Southeast (GA, KY, NC, SC, TN, WV)
Hugh Acheson, Five and Ten, Athens, GA
Linton Hopkins, Restaurant Eugene, Atlanta

Best Chef: Southwest (AZ, CO, NM, NV, OK, TX, UT)
Paul Qui, Uchiko, Austin, TX

Outstanding Wine, Beer or Spirits Professional
A winemaker, brewer, or spirits professional who has had a significant impact on the wine and spirits industry nationwide. Candidates must have been in the profession for at least 5 years.

Paul Grieco, Terroir, NYC

Outstanding Wine Program

A restaurant that displays and encourages excellence in wine service through a well-presented wine list, a knowledgeable staff, and efforts to educate customers about wine. Candidates must have been in operation for at least 5 years.

No. 9 Park, Boston

Outstanding Bar Program
A restaurant that displays and encourages excellence in cocktail, spirit, and/or beer service through a well-presented drink list, a knowledgeable staff, and efforts to educate customers about beverages.

PDT, New York City

Outstanding Service
A restaurant that demonstrates high standards of hospitality and service. Candidates must have been in operation for at least the past 5 years.
La Grenouille, NYC

Outstanding Pastry Chef
A chef or baker who prepares desserts, pastries, or breads and who serves as a national standard-bearer for excellence. Candidates must have been pastry chefs or bakers for at least the past 5 years.
Mindy Segal, Mindy’s Hot Chocolate, Chicago

Outstanding Restaurateur
A working restaurateur who sets high national standards in restaurant operations and entrepreneurship. Candidates must have been in the restaurant business for at least 10 years. Candidates must not have been nominated for a James Beard Foundation chef award in the past 10 years.
Tom Douglas, Tom Douglas Restaurants, Seattle

Rising Star Chef of the Year
A chef age 30 or younger who displays an impressive talent and who is likely to have a significant impact on the industry in years to come.
Christina Tosi, Momofuku Milk Bar, NYC

Outstanding Chef
A working chef in America whose career has set national industry standards and who has served as an inspiration to other food professionals. Candidates must have been working as chefs for at least the past 5 years.
Daniel Humm, Eleven Madison Park, NYC

Strawberries Newport is synonymous with the Oklahoma City Festival of the Arts.

Now that the winners have been notified, I can pass them along to the public:

Best Overall: Tequila Lime Pudding from Interurban
Best Sweet: Fried Peaches at Harry Bear’s
Best Savory: Italian Nachos from Adella’s
Best Cart item: Caramel Apples from Rodney and Lisa’s.

The Italian Nachos narrowly defeated the Jaffles from the Australian Jaffles booth. In the end presentation was the deciding factor as both were delicious. The chicken croquettes from Deep Fork were in the conversation for Best Savory as was the Chicken Stroganoff from Cafe do Brasil, the fish tacos from Craig and Carter’s and the Mufuletta from Bon Appetit Catering.

The Best Sweets category went much faster. The Tequila Bread Pudding was the clear winner, so clear we elected to make it Best of Show, which allowed us to give the Best Sweet to Harry Bear’s, which was the first thing I ever ate in Oklahoma City upon a visit to a girlfriend back in 1987. My relationship with the fried peaches continues while the girlfriend is just another person that I used to know. Strawberries Newport wowed judge Terry Adams, who’d never had it before. Laveryl Lower, whose husband Chris is a member of the family who introduced the dish to Oklahoma City, and I agreed that familiarity might’ve worked against it, though they were among the finalists. We also discussed the Caramel Knowledge to the end.

As for the Best Cart, the Caramel Apples were the clear winner. Hazel Purkey’s Pecan Roll was discussed, and the Caramel Corn from Sweet Corn Express brought a smile to Laveryl’s face making it impossible not to send her home with the leftovers, but the Caramel Apples reigned easily.

What a great time it was checking out samples from all the booths for the first time and being a part of this first-time event. Get on out to the Oklahoma City Festival of the Arts and enjoy the food. We didn’t really find anything we wouldn’t try again.

My good friend and colleague McSquack spends his days at the Dallas Morning News building databases and treating the net the way Corky Carroll used to treat waves off the coast of Mexico. Usually his netly pursuits results in links to the embarrassing tweets of others, Green Lantern trivia or Kenny Powers videos.

But today, he sent me a link that might turn me into a superhero. That’s because many years ago when I use to kill time as a sports form-charter playing an extremely dodgy-looking computer game based on “Jeopardy” my contestant name was always Tacoman. And according to the link from McSquack, the Tacocopter has been born.

This robotic taco peddler  can take orders from a smartphone, pinpoint your location and deliver tacos to your footsteps — as long as you don’t move. Dancing is optional.

Unfortunatlely, the tacocopter is currently grounded by the FAA, but it’s only a matter of time. We also don’t know how good the tacocopter’s customer service skills are like. If you asked for no cheese and tell the tacocopter, is it going to go Robocop on you?

Either way, I’m looking for a suitable natural cavern to act as Tacocave so that my taco-eating skills might get the long-overdue superhero treatment they deserve. Of course, by the time that happens, the tacocopter will probably be serving yogurt and cupcakes like everybody else.

Whole Foods Market, 6001 N Western Ave, will celebrate street food from around the world with a three-day festival starting Friday.
International Street Food will include a Taco Cook-off on Saturday, and Food On A Stick on Sunday. Each day, dishes can be purchased with a $5 donation to the Whole Planet Foundation.

Festivities run noon to 5 p.m. each day in the Triangle at Classen Curve. Whole Planet Foundation’s mission is poverty alleviation in developing-world communities where Whole Foods Market sources products.

Can’t imagine I won’t stop by for a taco. When do I ever skip a chance to try a new, interesting taco? How about you?

After waiting out construction in front of their chic, modern Italian restaurant for more than a year, co-owners Maggie Howell and chef Christine Dowd have decided to close Trattoria il Centro, 500 W Main St. in the Mongomery Building.

“Project 180 could go on another year, so we’ve decided to pull the plug,” Dowd said.

Mezzula from Trattoria il Centro.

The past year has been a succession of headaches for the urban Italian eatery, with the restaurant’s main sidewalk access constantly in flux. The 500 block of Main Street the eatery faced has been dug up, filled in only to be dug up again more than once since Project 180 and Devon Tower construction began. Howell and Dowd will continue to operate their catering business, which is one of the city’s best known.

“The focus needs to be Aunt Pittypat’s right now,” chef Dowd said. “It’s going to be our focus.”

Trattoria il Centro opened in October of 2005 and built a reputation for classic Italian fare with a modern twist in a chic dining room known for monthly $25 wine dinners, annual Tomato Festival each summer and Feast of the Seven Fishes the week leading up to Christmas. Chef Dowd, one of Oklahoma City’s top kitchen talents, said

Executive Chef Christine Dowd holds up a dish of Skate Picatta,

she and her partner Maggie have some plans for different things in the future.

Meanwhile, chef Dowd is co-coordinating chef for the March 29 Chefs Feast at The Cowboy Hall of Fame and Western Heritage Museum.

Trattoria il Centro’s last day is March 31, so make sure you get out between now and then and say farewell to a restaurant that helped develop the local food culture of Oklahoma City.

Are you sad to see Trattoria il Centro close? Where will you go for Italian downtown now?

Melanie Wilkerson talks with Ree Drummond, The Pioneer Woman, signs copies of her cookbook at Full Circle book store Thursday, Oct. 29, 2009. Photo by Doug Hoke, The Oklahoman

Full Circle Bookstore will host Oklahoma-based blogger, author, and cooking show star, Ree Drummond on Saturday, March 31. The self-proclaimed Pioneer Woman, amateur photographer and mother of four will bring some of her favorite recipes and stories to 50 Penn Place who will sign books with some proceeds of books sales going to the YWCA Battered Women’s Shelter.

Fans line up outside the bookstore to see Ree Drummond, The Pioneer Woman, sign copies of her cookbook at Full Circle book store Thursday, Oct. 29, 2009 for hundreds of people who showed up. Photo by Doug Hoke, The Oklahoman

Full Circle Bookstore will match donations received throughout the event to benefit the Battered Women’s Shelter in Oklahoma City. The event is free. Attendees can preorder books and reserve their place in line by calling Full Circle Bookstore.

The day will start with a presentation at 1 p.m.  then she will commence signing copies of her newest book, “The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Food From My Frontier.”

Drummond began writing her  blog, “Confessions of a Pioneer Woman,” in May of 2006, documenting her life as on Oklahoma ranch with her husband, kids, and animals.

Her first cookbook, “The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Recipes from an Accidental Country Girl” debuted at No. 1 on the New York Times bestsellers list and reached the top spot on Amazon.com’s preorder list for hardcover books.

“The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Food From My Frontier” includes new recipes for appetizers, meals, sides, and desserts plus colorful images from life on the farm.

Food Network now films a show with Drummond at the Riata-like ranch, which occupies a healthy hunk of Osage County, where she lives with her husband and four children. Film rights were purchased on her 2011 book “Black Heels and Tractor Wheels” with Reese Witherspoon once rumored to be playing the lead role but nothing official has ever come of it.

If you’re planning to attend the book-signing be sure to call ahead. Her last appearance drew a throng that reached out of the store, down to the Belle Isle Brewery, around another corner to the northwest exit then doubled back up the same hall and around the previous corner halfway back to the bookstore.

For more information about the book signing, or to preorder books please call (405) 842-2900.

Ludivine Restaurant’s intention from day one was to celebrate the bounty of Oklahoma. Now Oklahoma has a chance to celebrate the achievements of Ludivine.

Jonathon Stranger and Russ Johnson are chef/owners at Ludivine, 805 N Hudson Ave. Their farm-to-fork concept has garnered them nominations for The People’s Best New Chef award by the national magazine Food & Wine. The award nominates up-and-coming chefs who have run their own dining establishment for less than 5 years.

“This recognition for the restaurant is recognition for Oklahoma,” Stranger said. “We cook Oklahoma food with Oklahoma ingredients for Oklahoma customers.”

The award, in its second year, allows patrons and fans to determine the best new chef from a field of 100 nominees broken down in 10 regions across the country. Winners from each region will be finalists. The chef with the most overall votes will be featured in the July 2012 issue along with the Food and Wine’s traditional Best New Chef program winner, which honors talented up-and-coming innovators who have run their own kitchens for five years or fewer.

“After last year’s successful debut, we’re thrilled to again give the dining public a chance to help their favorite chef become The People’s Best New Chef,” said Food & Wine Editor-in-Chief Dana Cowin.

Voting is under way here. You’ll find Russ and Jonathon listed under the Southwest flag. Results will be announced on March 12.

“Russ and myself are so honored just to be nominated. We are only a small part of what makes Ludivine. It is the farmers, ranchers, home gardeners, and people of Oklahoma that make us strive to be our best. Thank you to all the people around the state for the opportunity that we have received.”

Calling it New Prairie cuisine, Strangers and Johnson opened Ludivine in October 2010, featuring a menu that changes not only with the seasons but with availability of ingredients. It’s not uncommon to see the menu change by the week, sometimes by the day. They’ve been innovators not only in use of local producers, but in the bar. They brought the Bone Marrow Luge, which you can watch in video above. They’ve brought an energy to a previously inert spot in Oklahoma City, helping stretch the progressive vibe of Midtown south.

With a mild winter behind them, and the promise of the restaurant’s most bountiful spring/summer yet, anticipation is high for this year. This nomination only raises the stakes.

Be sure to follow the conversation on Twitter using #peoplesbnc, and check in with Ludivine, which is planning several voting promotions, including discounted cocktails and T-shirt giveaways.

Do you think Ludivine deserves national recognition for its work?

Dean and Gene Ween (Mickey Melchiondo and Aaron Freeman) are what the Mothers of Invention set out to be and the prototype for what Tenacious D would become for a short time. These are seriously talented musicians with seriously profound senses of humor. This isn’t straight satire, it’s more like what a Jud Apatow film would sound like if it were music.

Thanks to George, and thanks to Ween for being who they are and giving me something to post that is neither recipe, restaurant review nor “Portlandia” sketch.

No changes, but the owners wanted to wait a little longer so when the announcement is made they’ll have a clearer view of when the new place will open its doors. I can tell you among the comments on the original post, there was one correct guess as to whom the new tenants will be.

More important than news of cafes coming and going is news of the tragic death of former Chicas employee Tara Johnston and her one-year-old daughter. My deepest, heartfelt sympathy to those who worked with Tara Johnston, who along with baby Allison, died at the hands of  husband/father Daniel, who later took his own life in a Las Vegas hotel room.

Tragedy like this is so hard to fathom. It’s a struggle to draw anything lesson from such senselessness. In the short-term, it’s a reminder how abruptly our engagement with existence as we know it can end. Through a broader lens, we see that without horror there is no bliss. The tapestry of our world is a balance of both. All of us eventually endure our share, measuring our mettle as we maintain composure through bliss and gain strength through tragedy.

In the wake of this stunning, unthinkable breakdown in civlity none of the lessons sure to be learned some day matter much now. In the present, sorrow is all that suffices. Let’s all hope and pray those who loved the victims find comfort in each other, which will forge the foundation for strength tomorrow.

And here’s hoping Tara and baby Allison find peace in the hereafter.