LINCOLN SQUARE — Goosefoot's Chris Nugent already has earned a "rising chef" award from the Chicago restaurant community. Now he's in the running for the granddaddy of all culinary honors: a James Beard award.
On Wednesday, the James Beard Foundation released a list of its 2013 semifinalists, and Nugent's name was among 20 competing for Best Chef: Great Lakes.
The slate of finalists will be released March 18, and winners will be announced at a gala reception on May 6.
Bruce Sherman of North Pond was named Best Chef: Great Lakes in 2012.
Nugent, formerly of Les Nomades, opened Goosefoot in December 2011, surprising many with his choice of a Lawrence Avenue storefront to house the enterprise.
“I’m happy with a small BYOB," he said at the time.
That small BYOB has since become one of the toughest reservations in town, and may soon boast a Beard winner in the kitchen.
