James Beard Foundation Adds New Awards Categories: Best Baker, Best Podcast

Every May at Lincoln Center in New York City a whole bunch of restaurant professionals gather to pat each other on the back and celebrate the industry that they (and the collective Food Republic staff) love so much. While we're of the opinion that "everybody is a winner" in the cutthroat, oftentimes heartbreaking restaurant industry, the James Beard Foundation has been designated as the givers of medals to the best of the best in cooking, bartending, service, design and restaurateur-ing. Today they announced a major addition: Best Baker.

"The Outstanding Baker award grew from our desire to honor those professionals working beyond the restaurant dessert realm," said Restaurant and Chef Awards committee chair Phil Vettel in a statement. "Along with Outstanding Pastry Chef, this award acknowledges the vitality of the pastry and baking professions, in restaurants and in bakeries of many kinds, and the importance of bread and dessert to the dining experience."

It's an important distinction, the separation of traditional pastry and baking, and a wise move by the Beard Foundation to give baking professionals their own bald guy medal category. Also announced was the addition of a Best Podcast category for the Journalism Awards, an award that will be hotly contested.

The Restaurant and Chef awards, which are now open for submissions, will take place for the first time in Chicago on May 4, 2015. The Journalism and Book awards remain in New York City and go down April 24, 2015.