We hope we won’t see Mario Batali in a vintage Valentino dress and matching clogs this May.

That’s when the culinary equivalent to the Oscars, the James Beard awards, are handed out. Nominations have just been released and include some our favorite folks:

Rising Star Chef

Graham Eliot Bowles - Avenues

Chef Bowles did one of our first podcast interviews. You can listen here.

Best Chef Midwest

Shawn McClain - Spring, Green Zebra, and Custom House

We also interviewed Chef McClain a few months back. You can view a slideshow of the master in the kitchen and listen here.

Best New Restaurant

Grant Achatz and Nick Kokonas-Alinea

You can read our review here.

Best New Webcast

Don Genova - Pacific Palate

We are proud to say that Don is an associate of ours over at the Culinary Podcast Network. The culinary podcast network is a group of some of the best culinary podcasters on the internet.

In addition to those folks, some of our other favorites who got nods include: Rick Bayless, Charlie Trotter, Thomas Keller, Brian Polcyn and Michael Ruhlman (Their new Charcuterie book is awesome), Suzanne Goin, Mario Batali, Mark Caro of the Chicago Tribune, Carol Mighton Haddix and the whole Chicago Tribune food section, Everest, and Spiaggia.

You can read more on the awards at: James Beard Foundation.