Local

Seattle chef wins James Beard Award

Outstanding chefs across the country took home James Beard Awards Monday night in Chicago, a ceremony that many consider the Academy Awards of the culinary world.

One of winners was Seattle’s own Renee Erickson of The Whale Wins.

The Whale Wins, an eatery that specializes in European and Northwest dishes, won a regional award for the best chef in the Northwest.

Seattle Eatery reported that Erickson was the only woman to win one of the 10 regional chef awards.

Other local finalists from the regional category included Mike Easton of Il Corvo and Rachel Yang and Seif Chirchi of Joule.

Los Angeles chef Suzanne Goin took home the award for outstanding chef, and Chicago mainstay Alinea won the outstanding restaurant honor.