Everybody hearts Maria Hines—she of the long black braid, shown here barbecuing ducks at last summer's Burning Beast (mark your calendar for this year's on July 11 12th!)—and now she's got a James Beard award for Tilth to prove it. Yay, Maria Hines!

Tom Douglas did not win Outstanding Restaurateur (Drew Nieporent of Myriad Restaurant Group did). The other award to a local went to Rebekah Denn, formerly of the P-I, now blogging here, for this article about the famous wooly pigs. Props to Rebekah Denn as well.

Best category: BEST NEW RESTAURANT PRESENTED BY LEXUS. Momofuku Ko in New York got that. See who got the other awards here.

Photo for The Stranger by Curt Doughty.