Call for entries: James Beard Foundation seeks entries for 2018 awards

The James Beard Foundation is seeking entries for its 2018 awards.

The deadline for submissions is Dec. 1 for restaurants and chefs, Dec. 8 for books, Jan. 3 for media and Jan. 26 for restaurant design.

Semifinalists for the restaurant and chef awards will be announced Feb. 14. For the past three years in a row, a Spokane-area chef has been named a semifinalist in the Best Chef Northwest category, dominated by chefs in Seattle and Portland.

Laurent Zirotti, chef and owner of Fleur de Sel in Post Falls, was a semifinalist this year.

Adam Hegsted was a semifinalist last year. He owns or is a partner in the following establishments: Wandering Table, Gilded Unicorn, The Yards Bruncheon, Eat Good Cafe, Le Catering, Republic Kitchen and Taphouse, and Farmhouse Kitchen and Silo Bar

Jeremy Hansen – of Sante Restaurant and Charcuterie, Common Crumb Artisan Bakery, Biscuit Wizard, Hogwash Whiskey Den and Inland Pacific Kitchen – was a semifinalist in 2015.

Established in 1990, the James Beard Awards honor culinary professionals for excellence and achievement. The James Beard Foundation, which gives the awards, was founded in 1986 in honor of the cookbook author and teacher by the same name. For more information, visit www.jamesbeard.org.