I am honored to announce that I'm part of the celebrity tastemakers panel for this year's MUNCHIES PEOPLE'S CHOICE FOOD AWARDS sponsored by General Mills. Although I have no formal culinary training, I certainly am an expert on good food-- I've eaten my way around the country in the past several years or so. The Munchies celebrates the best in food from the best burger to the best food city...and you get to decide the winners!
Do you love Chopped or Food Network Star? Can't get enough of Michael Symon on The Chew or the evil Alton Brown on Cutthroat Kitchen? If Ina is your kitchen inspiration or you've made every single recipe in Dana Cowin's new cookbook, here's how to help them win a 2015 Munchie People's Choice Award!
I've teamed up with General Mills and Andrew Zimmern for the 2015 Munchies People's Choice Awards! Thanks to Arden Photography for the fab headshot.
As you probably know, I spend most of my time on the road and eat out a lot. As part of the celebrity tastemaker panel, I was asked to nominate some of my favorite places for this year's awards. A total of 43 food experts shared our culinary perspectives to determine the 100 nominees. See the full list of panelists here...
We picked the finalists. Now, it is up to you to decide the winners. Vote daily through March 31st, 2015. We'll be eliminating nominees three times during the voting period (March 8th, March 15th, March 22nd and the final round March 31st), which means your votes matter!
THE LIST OF 2015 MUNCHIE AWARD NOMINEES
Best Food Competition TV Show
- Chopped, Food Network
- Iron Chef America, Food Network
- Knife Fight, Esquire Network
- Food Network Star, Food Network
- The Taste, ABC
Best Food TV Personality
- Alton Brown, Cutthroat Kitchen, Food Network
- Anthony Bourdain, Parts Unknown, CNN
- Ina Garten, Barefoot Contessa: Back to Basics, Food Network
- Michael Symon, The Chew, ABC
- Mo Rocca, My Grandmother's Ravioli, Cooking Channel
Best Chef
- Ashley Christensen, Poole's Diner, Raleigh, NC
- Hugh Acheson, Five & Ten, Athens, GA
- Ignacio Mattos, Estela, New York, NY
- Jamie Bissonette, Toro, Boston, MA
- Paul Kahan, Blackbird, Chicago, IL
Best Food Blog or Site
- Food Republic
- I Am a Food Blog
- Perennial Plate
- Serious Eats
- Smitten Kitchen
Best New Cookbook
- Flour and Water: Pasta, Thomas McNaughton, Ten Speed Press
- Heritage, Sean Brock, Artisan
- Mastering My Mistakes in the Kitchen, Dana Cowin, Ecco
- My Paris Kitchen: Recipes and Stories, David Lebovitz, Ten Speed Press
- Plenty More, Yotom Ottolenghi, Ten Speed Press
Best Food Magazine
- Bon Appetit, Conde Nast
- Cherry Bombe
- Food & Wine
- Lucky Peach
- Saveur, Bonnier Corporation
Best Pizza
- DiFara Pizza, Brooklyn, NY
- Pizzeria Bianco, Phoenix, AZ
- Pizzeria Lola, Minneapolis, MN
- Pizzeria Mozza, Los Angeles, CA
- Pizzeria Vetri, Philadelphia, PA
Best Burger
- Au Cheval, Chicago, IL
- The Company Burger, New Orleans, LA
- Father's Office, Los Angeles, CA
- Holeman and Finch Public House, Atlanta, GA
- Minetta Tavern, New York, NY
Best BBQ
- Franklin Barbecue, Austin, TX
- Kreuz Market, Lockhart, TX
- Martin's Bar-B-Que Joint, Nashville, TN
- Mighty Quinn's Barbeque, New York, NY
- Scott's Bar-B-Que, Hemingway, SC
Best Steak
- Doe's Eat Place, Greenville, MS
- Gibsons Steakhouse, Chicago, IL
- Keens Steakhouse, New York, NY
- Lonesome Dove, Fort Worth TX
- Peter Luger Steak House, Brooklyn, NY
Best Taco
- Big Star, Chicago, IL
- Empellon Taqueria, New York, NY
- Guerrilla Tacos, Los Angeles, CA
- Mas Tacos Por Favor, Nashville, TN
- Taqueria del Sol, Atlanta, GA
Best Ramen
- Daikokuya, Los Angeles, CA
- Ippudo, New York, NY
- Ivan Ramen, New York, NY
- Ramen Tatsu-ya, Austin, TX
- Tsujita LA Artisan Noodle, Los Angeles, CA
Best Donut
- Dough, Brooklyn, NY
- Doughnut Plant, New York, NY
- Doughnut Vault, Chicago, IL
- Federal Donuts, Philadelphia, PA
- Glam Doll Donuts, Minneapolis, MN
Best Ice Cream
- Ample Hills Creamery, Brooklyn, NY
- Big Gay Ice Cream, New York, NY
- Bi-Rite Creamery San Francisco, CA
- Graeter's, Cincinnati, OH
- Salt & Straw, Portland, OR
Best Sandwich Spot
- Cochon Butcher, New Orleans, LA
- Katz's Delicatessen, New York, NY
- Porchetta, New York, NY
- Robert's Western World, Nashville, TN
- Zingerman's Deli, Ann Arbor, MI
Best Coffee Shop
- Blue Bottle Coffee, Oakland, CA
- Crema, Nashville, TN
- La Colombe, Philadelphia, PA
- Panther Coffee, Miami, FL
- Stumptown Coffee Roasters, Portland, OR
Best Food Truck
- Biscuit Love Truck, Nashville, TN
- East Side King, Austin, TX
- King of Pops, Atlanta, GA
- Kogi BBQ Truck, Los Angeles, CA
- Nong's Khao Man Gai, Portland, OR
Best Craft Brewery
- Bell's Brewery, Kalamazoo, MI
- Brooklyn Brewery, Brooklyn, NY
- Goose Island, Chicago, IL
- Sixpoint Brewery, Brooklyn, NY
- Surly Brewing Co., Minneapolis, MN
Best Cocktail Bar
- Cure, New Orleans, LA
- Marvel Bar, Minneapolis, MN
- Pegu Club, New York, NY
- The Aviary, Chicago, IL
- Trick Dog, San Francisco, CA
Best Food City
- Chicago, IL
- Los Angeles, CA
- New Orleans, LA
- Portland, OR
- San Francisco, CA