No Beard Love For AZ

Wah wah wah... Today's an anticlimactic day for some of the most talented people in the Arizona restaurant biz, as the James Beard Foundation announced its finalists for the 2009 awards. Nobody from this state was on the list.

But the eight semifinalists who'd been in the running for various categories since the announcement in February are still part of an incredibly elite group. So congratulations again to Kevin Binkley (Binkley's), Beau MacMillan (elements), Mark Ehrler (Ventana Room, Tucson), Sam Fox (Fox Restaurant Concepts), Vincent Guerithault (Vincent on Camelback), Janos Wilder (Janos, Tucson), NOCA, and Kazimierz.