2015 James Beard Restaurant And Chef Awards Semifinalists And Their Recipes

Cook like a James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards semifinalist

Oscars? What Oscars?

The food industry's award season is officially underway with today's announcement of the semifinalists in the 2015 James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards. Congratulations to all of the nominees.

Tasting Table has been incredibly lucky to host many of this year's talented crop in our NYC Test Kitchen and to get exclusive recipes from them, too. Get to know some of this year's semifinalists:

Best New Restaurant Nominee: Edmund's Oast, Charleston, SC

Get the recipe for the Red Wedding cocktail, a blend of Elijah Craig 12-year-old bourbon, Averna and ice cubes made of hibiscus and sweet tea.

Best New Restaurant Nominee: Langbaan, Portland, OR

Learn to make the restaurant's brined, spice-smacked Hat Yai fried chicken.

Outstanding Chef Nominee: Michael Anthony, Gramercy Tavern, New York, NY

Did you know Anthony makes a killer Japanese fried chicken? Now you do.

Outstanding Chef Nominee: Sean Brock, Husk, Charleston, SC

Brock, the owner of Husk in Charleston and Nashville, stopped by to show us his recipe for Lowcountry oyster stew.

Outstanding Chef Nominee: Andy Ricker, Pok Pok, Portland, OR

Ricker's Thai herb salad is one of the most refreshing we've tasted.

Outstanding Pastry Chef Nominee: Jennifer Yee, Lafayette, New York, NY

Yee's boozy pear croustades are winter dessert perfection.

Outstanding Restaurateur Nominee: Ford Fry, Atlanta, GA

The chef of The Optimist and King + Duke divulged his secret weapon to us: a super-spicy Thai chile sauce.

Rising Star Chef of the Year Nominee: Ari Taymor, Alma, Los Angeles, CA

Taymor shared some of his cooking inspirations with us (spoiler: One of them is microgreens).

Best Chef: Great Lakes Nominee: Jonathon Sawyer, Greenhouse Tavern, Cleveland, OH

Bite into one of Sawyer's absolutely irresistible Italian dumplings, and you'll find a prize of melty cheese inside.

Best Chef: New York City Nominee: Marco Canora, Hearth, NYC

Eat healthy like a chef (with plenty of flavor): Canora shared a bounty of recipes from his new book, A Good Food Day, for the ultimate feel-good dinner party.

Best Chef: New York City Nominee: Ignacio Mattos, Estela, NYC

Want to know how to chop an onion? Might as well learn from the masters (aka, Mattos and David Tanis).

Best Chef: New York City Nominee: Jonathan Waxman, Barbuto, NYC

Waxman's secret soy sauce is so simple, you almost won't believe it.

Best Chef: Northeast Nominee: Tim Maslow, Ribelle, Brookline, MA

This nontraditional take on pappardelle al ragù from Maslow is exactly what we want to eat this winter.

Best Chef: South Nominee: Jose Enrique, Jose Enrique, San Juan, PR

You haven't lived until you've tried Enrique's fiery, multi-pepper hot sauce.

Best Chef: South Nominee: Alon Shaya, Domenica, New Orleans, LA

Shaya's sugary sufganiyot (doughnuts) may be a Hanukkah tradition, but we'd gladly eat them year-round.

Best Chef: South Nominee: Isaac Toups, Toups' Meatery, New Orleans, LA

Learn to make spicy, super-meaty dirty rice like the NOLA legend.

Best Chef: Southeast Nominee: Vivian Howard, Chef & the Farmer, Kinston, NC

Howard exalts the cooking of Eastern North Carolina—and shares a root vegetable recipe with a totally addictive dressing.

Best Chef: West Nominee: Dominique Crenn, Atelier Crenn, San Francisco, CA

Of course, Crenn's ooey, gooey grilled cheese tartine is about as close to perfection as you'll get.