The Jean Banchet Awards, Chicago’s annual restaurant awards to recognize local talent, were held Sunday night at Venue Six10 in the South Loop.
Dozens of members of Chicago’s restaurant community, friends and family sat in the audience as industry colleagues took turns announcing winners across 14 categories, including restaurant of the year, chef of the year, pastry chef of the year and best sommelier. Winners were chosen by the Jean Banchet Panel, made up of Chicago food experts, from a list of nominations made by the public in fall 2016.
Restaurant of the Year: Blackbird
Chef of the Year: Andrew Brochu (Roister)
Rising Chef of the Year: Bill Montagne & Jennifer Kim (Snaggletooth)
Best Chef-de-Cuisine: Wilson Bauer (Schwa)
More Top Picks Best Sunrise Alarm Clocks Under 100
Pastry Chef of the Year: Meg Galus (Swift & Sons/Momotaro/Boka)
Rising Pastry Chef of the Year: Alison Cates (Honey’s*)
*Cates won for her work at Honey’s but recently left the restaurant.
Best Neighborhood Restaurant: Sumi Robata Bar
Best Ethnic Restaurant: 5 Loaves Eatery
Best New Restaurant: Oriole
Best Sommelier: Rachel Driver Speckan (City Winery)
Best Mixologist: Julia Momose (GreenRiver**)
**Momose won for her work at GreenRiver but recently announced her departure from the restaurant.
Best Restaurant Design: Dixie
Best Restaurant Service: Boka
Best Alternative Dining: Nomad
Culinary Achievement Award: Rick Bayless
[email protected]
Twitter @marissa_conrad
.galleries:after {
content: ”;
display: block;
background-color: #144A7C;
margin: 16px auto 0;
height: 5px;
width: 100px;
}
.galleries:before {
content: “Food & Dining Photos and Video”;
display: block;
font: 700 23px/25px Georgia,serif;
text-align: center;
color: #1e1e1e;
var playlist = ‘chi_dining’,
layout = ‘autoblurb5plus1’,
iu = ‘%2F4011%2Ftrb.chicagotribune%2Fent%2Fdining’;