A Prep Cook’s Perspective On Winning A James Beard Award
Read time: 5.4 min
By Jensen Cummings
On June 13th, Caroline Glover, Chef Owner of Annette in Denver, won the 2022 James Beard Award for Best Chef in the Mountain Region. Best Served has been a fan of Caroline since we started the podcast. She’s been on the podcast three times! So instead of bringing her once again, we decided to talk to a member of her team who came with her to the James Beard awards in Chicago. Haley MacDonald is a prep cook and chef at Annette who’s been working there for three and a half years. She met Caroline when they worked together at Acorn.
Who was the first person you messaged when you won?
My significant other. I of course had to tell him.
Favorite memory from the JBF awards ceremony?
Oh gosh. I think Annette being called was the best thing. I screamed so loud, so high pitched. People were kind of in shock. There was a moment of, did they actually just say that? We were a little teary. It was our whole management crew, front and back of house, about six or seven of us there in Chicago.
What’s the energy like within the restaurant since the award?
We are so dang busy. We have to double a lot of recipes now. It's just not slowing down. This is a good problem to have. Every night is busy, busy. There are definitely days where we barely made it but in the best way possible. We’re all learning and growing. We’ve hired more people. We’re growing the team.
There is a sense of pressure. Reviews and people have things to say especially if you win. A big part of handling that pressure is we’re able to take a break. We get two weeks off a year. This break came at a great time. Usually though when we are going into a break, we are kind of slowing down, not prepping as much. This time it was like, holy moly, we just didn’t stop and we just sold all of that food. There was no slowing down. It's crazy but great.
What’s the one attribute that the restaurant has that you feel is most credited for this prestige?
I think it's just the consistency. Making sure everything is done the exact same way every time and it’s tasted by everyone. We are all on the same page. The consistency throughout, this is how Caroline wants it and this is how we are going to do it. That’s what got us the James Beard.
With small independent restaurants that change their menus a bunch, it’s something that people strive for but don’t always achieve. But it’s something we are able to achieve through our leadership and training.
If people are working at a station they aren’t as comfortable with, we check a few of their plates to make sure that they are perfectly seasoned. And she’s there if we have questions. A lot of those other James Beard chefs might not be in the kitchen everyday. Caroline is there everyday, making her pasta, double checking everything. It’s her food and she wants to make sure it’s where she wants it to be.
What’s one thing most people don’t know about Caroline?
She’s just the most empathetic person. She wants to know how you are doing, what’s going on in your life. She’s been so amazing throughout the pandemic. I had some family stuff and was able to take some time. Caroline was there to support everyone. She makes sure that people aren’t working a crazy number of hours. She makes sure that people take days off when they need them.
Who is one Unsung Hospitality Hero that you want to acknowledge?
Jake is the Sous Chef. He just got promoted in the past year. He’s stepped up, running the show, taking on so much responsibility. He’s given Caroline the ability to step back and be creative and create new stuff and work on other projects. That's what Annette needed. He’s been taking control, running that place successfully. And he’s young and just killing it. He has been there since day one. He’s definitely one of those Unsung Hospitality Heroes.
The Annette’s team from the 2022 James Beard Awards in Chicago, IL.
