The Foodies are, of course, near and dear to me. I named them, and, for the first 10 years, slogged my way through them. They take a tremendous amount of effort to compile, more than most people could imagine. It seemed that every year there was at least one category that became problematic. It would start with a return to the previous year’s winner in that category, the presumptive favorite, only to find that the quality had slipped so much that awarding the Foodie again would not be possible. So, then, I’d start heading out to find another restaurant in that category that was Foodie worthy. One year I ate more sushi than Jeremy Piven!

So when you read the Foodies, have some appreciation for all the work that went into them. By the way, the online layout is super, with a very nice mashup of a Google map  with the locations of the winners. One thing missing from the online story, however, is the credit line for Mr. Forkhead, who in this year’s incarnation leans against a Rolls twirling his keys in a devil-may-care attitude. Once again Mr. Forkhead was realized by graphic genius Rich Pope.

Kudos to Heather, Rich and the old gang.