PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — There are now several more reasons to be proud of Portland for being known as a foodie city.
Multiple individuals involved in the Portland food scene took home James Beard Awards at the annual ceremony in Chicago on Monday — James Beard Awards are like the Oscars of America’s food and restaurant industry.
Kann in Portland was named the best restaurant in the country. Founded by Chef Gregory Gourdet, the Haitian restaurant is inspired by his heritage, with nods to the Pacific Northwest.
KOIN 6 News’ Elizabeth Dinh got a taste of the popular eatery when Varanya Geyoonsawat, the Chef de Cuisine at Kann cooked up several family-style dishes for a Northwest Grown story.
“Thank you to the City of Portland for allowing us to create something that people from all around the world want to visit. And thank you to Haiti for being my place of ancestry,” Gourdet said.
The best chef in the region, representing the Northwest and Pacific, is Vince Nguyen of Berlu Bakery. He makes creative gluten-free Vietnamese-inspired dishes.
“Thank you to the community of chefs, diners, media of Portland who have supported me from day one, even though I’m from Orange County. Thank you to my staff, old and present. Even if you worked for me for a day, I learned from that experience, so thank you. Most of all, thank you to my wife who is my support, inspiration and everything,” Nguyen said.
Last week, KOIN 6 News featured Mike Truong, the creator behind the YouTube channel All the Homies Network. He and his seven best friends, who are all in Portland’s food and coffee scene, won the Reality or Competition Visual Media category.
“Understand that you can look like any one of us up here, and know that your voice matters and your story deserves to be heard. This win doesn’t belong to me or this network. This belongs to the continuous work of every individual who strives day in and day out to create a better version of Portland, Oregon,” Truong said.
Brooke Jackson-Glidden of Eater Portland won the Jonathan Gold Local Voice Award, which recognizes her for engaging readers “through enterprising food and dining coverage.”
I want to thank the people of Portland. They’re all here and I’m blown away. It’s our night, guys,” Jackson-Glidden said. “We’ve had really challenging conversations and I still think that this community is founded on both a genuine goofiness and passion — and spirit of collaboration and belief that we can make a better food system and community. I am so proud to be able to cover the Portland food scene every day.”
The Burgerville union was recognized with the Emerging Leadership Award. The group successfully negotiated the country’s first-ever fast-food union contract in 2021.