NEWS : Winner’s Circle

Californians once again scored big at the James Beard Awards, announced at a gala black-tie event Monday night in New York.

From Southern California: Nobu Matsuhisa won the Best New Restaurant Award for New York’s Nobu; KABC Radio host Diane Worthington received her second James Beard Award for Best Radio Show on Food; Patina’s Joachim Splichal was inducted into the Who’s Who of Food & Beverage; Long Beach design firm Chhada, Siembieda & Partners won the Restaurant Design Award for Fifth Seven Fifth Seven Restaurant in the Four Seasons Hotel in New York, and Los Angeles Times writers Daniel P. Puzo and Michelle Huneven won journalism awards for Best Newspaper Food News Reporting and Best Newspaper Feature Reporting, respectively.

From the north: Traci Des Jardin of Rubicon (who formerly worked for Splichal at Patina) was named Rising Star Chef of the Year; Chuck Williams, founder of Williams-Sonoma, won the Lifetime Achievement Award; San Francisco Ritz-Carlton chef Gary Danko was the Best American Chef-California, and Harold McGee, author of “On Food and Cooking,” was inducted into the Who’s Who. Cookbook authors Paula Wolfert (“Cooking of the Eastern Mediterranean”), Elaine Corn (“Now You’re Cooking”) and Alice Medrich (“Chocolate and the Art of Low-Fat Desserts”) were honored for their work, with Medrich’s book being named Cookbook of the Year.

Among other awards presented, Chicago’s Rick Bayless, of Frontera Grill and Topolombampo, was named Chef of the Year; Le Cirque won the Outstanding Restaurant Award, and Paul Newman and A.E. and Ursula Hotchner won the Humanitarian Award for their work with Newman’s Own.