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St. Petersburg chef Edouardo Jordan garners two James Beard Award honors

Edouardo Jordan shows kids how to make chicken and biscuits in the Child's Park Community Center kitchen on July 25, 2016. The St. Petersburg native and a 1998 graduate of Boca Ciega High School earned two wins at the James Beard Awards on May 7, 2018. [Times files (2016)]
Edouardo Jordan shows kids how to make chicken and biscuits in the Child's Park Community Center kitchen on July 25, 2016. The St. Petersburg native and a 1998 graduate of Boca Ciega High School earned two wins at the James Beard Awards on May 7, 2018. [Times files (2016)]
By Times Staff Writer and Carl Lisciandrello
Published May 8, 2018

ST. PETERSBURG — Edouardo Jordan's love for cooking has taken him from Boca Ciega High School, to the Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Orlando, and to fine restaurants in New York, California and Washington State.

But it is in Seattle where the acclaimed chef is perfecting his craft, as evidenced by his two historic wins at the James Beard Awards on Monday night.

FROM 2016: Acclaimed chef Edouardo Jordan comes home to Childs Park

Jordan, founding chef of JuneBaby in Seattle, became the first African-American to earn the honor of Best New Restaurant.

Chef @tamburg accepts the Best New Restaurant #jbfa for @JuneBabySeattle pic.twitter.com/OKmfcPFmdh

In his acceptance speech, he thanked his coworkers, friends and family for helping him achieve his dreams.

"This is a beautiful time in our industry that we're able to capture the beautiful color and pictures that actually have made American cuisine, the food and the history," Jordan said.

He dedicated the award to his son, Akil.

"I love you to the moon and back. This award is for you and I want you to dream big, my little star," Jordan said. "And daddy wants you to know that if you dream it, you can achieve it. And the future is yours, but don't forget the past."

Jordan doubled up by being named Best Chef in the Northwest for his first restaurant in Seattle, Salare.

RELATED: Jordan returns home for Manhattan Casino celebration, collard greens festival

At JuneBaby, Jordan creates classic Southern soul food that "merges influences from West Africa, Western Europe and North America."

JuneBaby also was named Best Restaurant of the Year by Food & Wine magazine this year, and in 2017 was named top restaurant by the website Eater.

The wins come a year after Jordan was named one of five finalists for the James Beard award for best chef of the Northwest last year. He also was named a "best new chef" by Food & Wine magazine in 2016.

With Salare, Jordan captures "America's diverse culture of food with influences from America's South, Africa, Europe and the Caribbean Islands," according to the restaurant's website.

Meanwhile, chef and owner Gabrielle Hamilton of Prune restaurant in New York City took home the outstanding chef award, and Alabama's Highlands Bar and Grill won the outstanding restaurant honor.

The outstanding baker award went to Belinda Leong and Michel Suas of B. Patisseries in San Francisco. Caroline Styne of The Lucques Group in Los Angeles won the outstanding restaurateur honor.

Camille Cogswell of Zahav restaurant in Philadelphia was named the rising star chef of the year. Zahav's Michael Solomonv won last year's Beard Award for outstanding chef.

The James Beard Foundation's lifetime achievement award went to multiple-time James Beard Award-winning author Paula Wolfert.

Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.

Contact Carl Lisciandrello at clisciandrello@tampabay.com. Follow @carlmarksTimes.

2018 JAMES BEARD RESTAURANT AND CHEF AWARD WINNERS

NATIONAL RESTAURANT AND CHEF AWARDS

• Best New Restaurant: JuneBaby, Seattle

• Outstanding Baker: Belinda Leong and Michel Suas, B. Patisserie, San Francisco

• Outstanding Bar Program: Cure, New Orleans

• Outstanding Chef: Gabrielle Hamilton, Prune, New York City

•Outstanding Pastry Chef: Dolester Miles, Highlands Bar & Grill, Birmingham, Alabama

• Outstanding Restaurant: Highlands Bar and Grill, Birmingham, Alabama

• Outstanding Restaurateur: Caroline Styne, The Lucques Group, Los Angeles

• Outstanding Service: Zuni Cafe, San Francisco

• Outstanding Wine Program: FIG, Charleston, South Carolina

• Outstanding Wine, Beer or Spirits Professional: Miljenko Grgich, Grgich Hills Estate, Rutherford, California

• Rising Star Chef of the Year: Camille Cogswell, Zahav, Philadelphia

RESTAURANT DESIGN AWARDS

75 Seats and Under

Firm: The MP Shift

Designers: Amy Morris, Anna Polonsky and Julie Nerenberg

Project: De Maria, New York

76 Seats and Over

Design Firm: Aidlin Darling Design with a I m project

Designers: Joshua Aidlin, David Darling, Adam Rouse and Andrea Lenardin Madden

Project: In Situ, San Francisco

Design Icon

The American Restaurant, Kansas City, Missouri

REGIONAL CHEF AWARDS

• Best Chef: Great Lakes (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio): Abraham Conlon, Fat Rice, Chicago

• Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic (D.C., Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia): Jeremiah Langhorne, The Dabney, Washington, D.C.

• Best Chef: Midwest (Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin): Gavin Kaysen, Spoon and Stable, Minneapolis

• Best Chef: New York City (Five Boroughs): Missy Robbins, Lilia, Brooklyn, New York

• Best Chef: Northeast (Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, New York State, Rhode Island, Vermont): Karen Akunowicz, Myers + Chang, Boston

• Best Chef: Northwest (Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, Wyoming): Edouardo Jordan, Salare, Seattle

• Best Chef: South (Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, Puerto Rico): Nina Compton, Compère Lapin, New Orleans

• Best Chef: Southeast (Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, West Virginia): Rodney Scott, Rodney Scott's BBQ, Charleston, South Carolina

• Best Chef: Southwest (Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah): Alex Seidel, Mercantile Dining & Provision, Denver

• Best Chef: West (California, Hawaii, Nevada): Dominique Crenn, Atelier Crenn, San Francisco

America's Classics

• Sun Wah, Chicago. Owners: Kelly Cheng, Laura Cheng and Michael Cheng

•Galleria Umberto, Boston. Owner: Paul Deuterio and Ralph Deuterio

• Los Hernandez, Union Gap, Washington. Owner: Felipe Hernandez

• El Guero Canelo, Tucson, Arizona. Owners: Daniel Contreras

• Dong Phuong Bakery, New Orleans, Louisiana. Owners: Linh Tran Garza

Who's Who of Food & Beverage in America

• Jody Adams: Chef/owner, TRADE, Porto and Saloniki, Boston

• Lally Brennan and Ti Adelaide Martin: Co-proprietors, Commander's Palace, New Orleans

•Allison Hooper: Co-founder, Vermont Creamery, Websterville, Vermont

•Daniel Johnnes: Wine director, The Dinex Group, New York City

Humanitarian of the Year

• Jose Andres: Multiple James Beard Award-winning chef; owner, ThinkFoodGroup; founder, World Central Kitchen

Lifetime Achievement Award

•Paula Wolfert, Multiple James Beard Award-winning author

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