Oscar night, for foodies

The 2009 James Beard Foundation Awards, which honor professionals in the food and beverage industries, were presented last night, with the media awards on Sunday night. The ceremony was hosted by Cat Cora, Emeril Lagasse and Stanley Tucci at Lincoln Center's Avery Fisher Hall. For a complete list of winners, click here.

Highlights from this year's list of winners include:

• Outstanding Restaurant: Jean Georges (Chef/Owner: Jean-Georges Vongerichten, Owner: Phil Suarez, New York, NY)
  
• Outstanding Chef: Dan Barber (Blue Hill, New York, NY)
  
• Rising Star Chef: Nate Appleman (A16, San Francisco, CA)
  
• Best New Restaurant: Momofuku Ko (Chef/Owners: David Chang and Peter Serpico, New York, NY)
  
• Cookbook of the Year: Fat: An Appreciation of a Misunderstood Ingredient, with Recipes (Author: Jennifer McLagan, Publisher: Ten Speed Press, Editor: Clancy Drake)
  
• Lifetime Achievement Award: Ella Brennan (Partner: Commander's Palace Family of Restaurants)
  
• Newspaper Food Section: The Washington Post, Joe Yonan
  
• Television Food Show, National or Local: Lidia's Italy: Sweet Napoli, Host: Lidia Matticchio Bastianich
  
• Website Focusing on Food, Beverage, Restaurant, or Nutrition: Epicurious.com, Tanya Steel
  
• Restaurant Reviews: Adam Platt, New York Magazine, "Faux French"; "The Mario of Midtown"; "Corton on Hudson", 07/14/08, 09/15/08, 11/24/08
  

Established in 1990, the James Beard Foundation Awards recognize culinary professionals for excellence and achievement in their fields and continue to emphasize the Foundation's mission: to celebrate, preserve, and nurture America's culinary heritage and diversity. All award winners receive a certificate and a bronze medallion engraved with the James Beard Foundation Awards insignia. There are no cash awards.

James Beard was a cookbook author and teacher with an encyclopedic knowledge about food. He died in 1985.