The Ba Qa

We chat with the James Beard best chef nominees from the Southeast region.

Here are the James Beard best chef nominees from the Midwest.

Here are James Beard best chef nominees from the south.

Here are the James Beard best chef nominees from the northwest region.

We're interviewing all of the chefs who received 2011 James Beard Award nominations, category by category.

We sent a survey to every chef who received a 2011 James Beard Award nomination. Before the winners are announced Monday, we'll share their most interesting answers here, category by category. Let's look at the Rising Star Chef of the Year...

When we asked "Parks and Recreation" star Aziz Ansari if he could have a sandwich (or any dish) named after him, what would it be? His answer ...

The Atlanta-based filmmaker--whose latest movie hits screens in April--dishes on his favorite eats.

We sat down with the molecular boy wonder to talk about his new show, Marcel's Quantum Kitchen.

Sophie Buhai and Lisa Mayock design Vena Cava--a fashion insider favorite and cult brand for cool girls everywhere--and they like to cook. Here they share a recipe for beef jerky.

The Grammy-winning rapper could easily be described in the same way he prefers his cuisine and his Cognac--full of flavor and very, very smooth.

This cool, self-possessed blonde is smart, talented, tasteful--and did we mention she's also known to be an immaculate hostess?

In the midst of fashion week insanity, designer Rebecca Taylor spends a few minutes chatting with us about another one of her passions--food--and shares her go-to favorite recipe.

We talked with the Portlandia cast about the show's food-centric themes and their love-hate relationship with yupsters.