CROWNED CUISINE: Mercedes-Benz USA and The James Beard Foundation Crown America’s Reigning Best New Restaurant

Just last night, Mercedes-Benz USA partnered with The James Beard Foundation for the third consecutive year to sponsor the Best New Restaurant Award. This year that high honor was given to Next in Chicago and was presented at the annual James Beard Foundation Awards at Lincoln Center’s Avery Fisher Hall in New York City.

A seemingly appropriate partnership, both The James Beard Foundation and Mercedes-Benz embody a dedication to forward-thinking, highest-quality developments, that gives them the authority to make such lofty selections as anything Best-rated. And their intentions, pure and true, are simply to “preserve and celebrate America’s culinary heritage and connect the understanding of culinary and automotive innovation.”

The Best New Restaurant Award, given to Grant Achatz, Chef and owner of Next, recognizes a new restaurant (Next opened in 2011), that is synonymous with such necessary traits as excellence—not only food but also in the beverage and service arenas—as well as one that shows promise to have a major impact on the food industry in the future. As part of the partnership with the foundation, MBUSA will exercise their role as sponsor by creating special programs that will engage consumers through activations that incorporate the winning establishment throughout the year.