Kearney was the only chef from southwest or central Ohio to be named a semifinalist, and this was the fifth consecutive year she received that recognition. In 2012, Kearney was named one of five finalists for the Best Chef/Great Lakes award.
The James Beard Foundation Awards are regarded as the nation’s most prestigious recognition program for the food and beverage business — the equivalent of the Academy Awards of the restaurant industry. The foundation will announce the overall winners at an awards ceremony on May 4 at Lyric Opera in Chicago.
The James Beard Foundation recognized Rue Dumaine in 2008, naming it a semifinalist for the foundation’s “Best New Restaurant” in the nation. And Kearney was named a James Beard Foundation best-chef award winner in the southeastern U.S. in 2002 when she and her husband, Rue Dumaine co-owner Tom Sand, owned and operated Peristyle restaurant in New Orleans.
Kearney and Sand, Dayton-area natives, opened Rue Dumaine in 2007 at 1061 Miamisburg-Centerville Road (Ohio 725).
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