The 2013 Jean Banchet Awards were announced at tonight’s Grand Chef’s Gala (a benefit for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation), and Grace restaurant was by far the biggest winner.
Grace won in five of the 11 award categories, including the two most prestigious: Restaurant of the Year, and Chef of the Year (which went to Curtis Duffy). Grace also took home awards for Best Restaurant Service, Best Sommelier (Valerie Cao) and Chef de Cuisine (Nicholas Romero).
Embeya’s Thai Dang won the award for Rising Chef, and the Vietnamese-inspired restaurant also won for Best Restaurant Design.
Other winners:
Pastry chef of the Year: Leigh Omilinsky, Café des Architectes
Rising Pastry Chef: Thomas Raquel, Acadia
Best New Restaurant: Fat Rice
Best Mixologist: Paul McGee, Three Dots and a Dash
The evening included a special tribute to chef Jean Banchet, who passed away in November, and whose immense influence on Chicago’s dining community inspired the awards.
