On Monday night, the Chicago Lyric Opera House was flooded with chefs, bartenders, restaurateurs, and lots of tuxedos for the James Beard Awards, that annual mashup of The Oscars and prom night that honors restaurants, bars, and the people who make them happen. This year, the theme was Rise, to "celebrate the collective spirit of our community and the power of food." SAVEUR and the Park Hyatt Chicago hosted the second annual JBF Pregame Lounge in the hotel's Water Tower Suite, where nominees were able to relax and get ready for the awards with hair styling by Mario Tricoci Salon and beard trims and express manicures by Merchant & Rhoades. We then headed to the Opera House for the James Beard Foundation awards, where photographer Matt Taylor-Gross shot a behind-the-scenes portrait session with the winners and some of SAVEUR's good friends, including chefs Amanda Frietag and Hugh Acheson.
