Zingerman's Roadhouse chef Alex Young wins prestigious James Beard Award

By Jessica Webster Community Content Coordinator

Posted on Tue, May 10, 2011 : 3:10 p.m.

Photo courtesy of Kelly Young.

The fifth time was a charm for Zingerman's Roadhouse chef and owner Alex Young. After four years of being nominated but going home empty-handed, Young took home the James Beard Foundation award for Best Chef: Great Lakes at an awards ceremony in New York last night.

Dubbed "the Oscars of the food world" by Time Magazine, the James Beard Foundation Awards honor the best and the brightest of the food world in an annual ceremony in New York's Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center.

Young's award was in the "Best Chefs In America" category, which honors "chefs who have set new or consistent standards of excellence in their respective regions," according the James Beard Foundation website. To take home the award, Young beat out four high-end Chicago-area restaurants.

It was a family affair for Young, who traveled to New York for the awards with his wife and three children in a camper. The Youngs parked their camper in New Jersey and commuted into the city for the ceremony, according to Zingerman's marketing manager Pete Sickman-Garner.

"I'm reminded how lucky I am to work with so many wonderful people," Young said in a press release. "It was and is still very exciting to have won a regional James Beard award, but it is thanks to everyone involved in making it happen at the Roadhouse. What an honor!"