The James Beard Foundation Awards for 2008 have been announced.  These are the Oscars of the food world and, in past years, Jane and Michael Stern have been nominated, and have won, multiple times; they are both listed in the James Beard Foundation's Who's Who of Food & Beverage in America.  This year's winners include three with Roadfood connections:

The Splendid Table, hosted by Lynne Rossetto Kasper, won for Radio Food Show.  As many Roadfood.com readers know, Jane and Michael Stern have a weekly segment on Lynne's excellent show.

Robert Stehling won for Best Chef: Southeast.  Mr. Stehling is the chef for Hominy Grill in Charleston, SC.  Here is Michael Stern's Roadfood.com review.

Fritz Maytag won the Lifetime Achievement Award.  Not only is Mr. Maytag one of the first American microbrewers, with his Anchor Brewing Company of San Francisco, but he also runs Maytag Dairy Farms, crafters of one of the world's great blue cheeses.  Here is Michael Stern's Roadfood.com review of Maytag Dairy.

Roadfood.com readers may well be most interested in the America's Classics category.  Former winners include Durgin Park, Second Avenue Deli, Strouds, Pepe's Pizza, Camp Washington Chili, Louie Mueller's... the list of restaurants recognized by both the Beard Foundation and Roadfood goes on and on.  The five new winners in this category include:

Bagaduce Lunch, in Brooksville, Maine, a seafood shack

Irma's Restaurant, in Houston, Texas, a downtown breakfast-and-lunch spot

Maneki, in Seattle, Washington, the only surviving restaurant from Seattle's Japantown

Jumbo's, in Miami, Florida, known for fried shrimp and soul food

Tufano's Vernon Park Tap, in Chicago, Illinois, a 1930's-era restaurant serving Italian-American classics