Erickson, Franey, Stowell, and More Local 2014 James Beard Foundation Finalists

Final nominees for the 2014 James Beard Awards were announced in Chicago today. (A much longer list of area semi-finalists was revealed last month.) Congrats to the following local finalists:

Restaurant and Chef Awards
Best Chef: Northwest
Renee Erickson, The Whale Wins
Jason Franey, Canlis
Ethan Stowell, Staple & Fancy

Rising Star Chef of the Year
Blaine Wetzel, The Willows Inn on Lummi Island

Outstanding Restaurant Design Awards
75 Seats and Under
Design Firm: Huxley Wallace Collective
Designers: Joshua Henderson and Matthew Parker
Project: Westward

Journalism Awards
Food Politics, Policy, and the Environment
Craig Welch
The Seattle Times
"Sea Change: The Pacific's Perilous Turn"

Book Awards
Focus on Health
Shauna James Ahern with Daniel Ahern
Gluten-Free Girl Every Day

Eater National has the full finalist list. Book, Broadcast and Journalism Award winners will be announced May 2; chefs and restaurant category winners will be named May 5 in New York City.
· All James Beard Award Coverage [-ESEA-]
· All Awards Season Coverage [-ESEA-]