Two Portland chefs have been nominated for the James Beard
Foundation Awards, which were announced last week. Gabriel
Rucker of Le Pigeon was nominated for Rising Star Chef of
the Year, awarded to a young chef who “displays an impressive
talent and who is likely to have a significant impact on the industry
in years to come.”
Cathy Whims of Nostrana garnered a nomination for Best
Chef in the Northwest. She is the only Portland contender in a field
dominated by Seattle chefs.
“It’s a little strange,” Whims tells the Mercury, “because it
seems like we have quite a happening food town here.”
Does she think she’ll bring the award home to Portland? “I don’t
know,” she laughs, mentioning fellow nominee Joseba Jiménez
de Jiménez of Seattle’s the Harvest Vine. “He’s
cooked for the King of Spain.”