One may have heard of the James Beard awards named after legendary James Beard. He was an American Chef and teacher whose influence was overwhelmingly positive on American cuisine. There are 14 awards within the James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards category. They are as follows:
- Outstanding Restaurateur
- Outstanding Chef
- Outstanding Restaurant
- Emerging Chef
- Best New Restaurant
- Outstanding Bakery
- Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker
- Outstanding Hospitality
- Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program
- Outstanding Bar
- Best New Bar
- Outstanding Professional in Beverage Service
- Outstanding Professional in Cocktail Service
- Best Chef: Great Lakes (IL, IN, MI, OH)
The last award we need to truly pay attention to; Fort Wayne has had two chefs within the semifinalists “Best Chef: Great Lakes” category. Those chefs being Chef Aaron Butts and Chef Sean Richardson. Chef Aaron Butts’ work has been tasted at the Copper Spoon, The Golden, and Joseph Decuis. Currently, Aaron Butts and his delicious food call Bistro Nota home. Chef Sean Richardson also worked at The Golden. His delicious food can be appreciated at Rune.
I want to highlight Bistro Nota, Rune, and Copper Spoon. Here are my culinary suggestions for when you visit each place.
When going to Bistro Nota, one must order the Nota Salad. “A salad? Jade, that’s not very exciting.” This one is. The Nota Salad has charred corn, and those little yellow delicious bits of joy are worth it. Have I tried mimicking this in my salads at home? Yes. Have I succeeded? Absolutely not! For one’s entree, I strongly suggest the Beef Teres Major. I say this as a person who truly dislikes meat dishes, but this one is special. The beef is so tender and cooked to perfection, that a mental bar will be set for future carnivorous dishes.
Rune often has special events and exclusive menus. I highly suggest enjoying one of those excursions. However, from their standard menu I would order the Sesame focaccia. Focaccia bread is one of my favorites to begin with, but this bread is divine. For the main course, the dinner menu changes often so anytime they have mushroom pasta-anything - get that! I still think about a mushroom dish I had with them years ago… still to this day.
Last and certainly not least, when visiting Copper Spoon order the shareable called Whipped Feta. The honey has a little garlic within it, and the combination of feta, garlic, honey mingled with bread is mind blowing. It is called a shareable, but at times I order one just for myself. Whether you shared or not, for your main course the Hollander mussels are a go! I think the vermouth makes all the difference when eating these shelled delicacies.
