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 The James Beard Foundation's Lifetime Achievement award this year will go to Wolfgang Puck, whose menu for The Academy Awards Governors Ball is almost as eagerly anticipated as the awards themselves. Puck
-- who has won multiple honors from the foundation and is the only chef to have twice received its Most Outstanding Chef award
-- was chosen for his talent as a chef and restaurateur, as well as for his history of revolutionizing how American chefs think about food, foundation president Susan Ungaro said in a release.
Puck, whose cooking combines classic French technique with a focus on seasonal and local ingredients, has been an iconic voice in California cuisine. Born in Austria, he moved to Los Angeles in 1975. In 1982, he opened Spago, the restaurant for which he remains best known. Today, he has 20 restaurants around the country.
The award will be presented during the foundation's annual awards gala on May 7 in New York.
[Associated
Press; By J.M. HIRSCH]
Copyright 2012 The Associated
Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
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