EDITORIAL Ryan Fernandez of Southern Junction and Waxlight Bar à Vin may not have won in their respective categories during the James Beard Foundation's awards ceremony in Chicago on Monday night. But – and this may sound corny, pun intended – they are still big winners here in Buffalo. Had either or both won, it would have meant a first for Buffalo in more than two decades.
Suffice it to say that reaching this level is extraordinary. For proof, check out The News' Francesca Bond's mouthwatering piece about Fernandez and his West Side barbecue "Tex-ish" blend of Texas barbecue and South Indian flavors. Good chance that the well-deserved high-profile attention from being named a finalist for a James Beard award, "the culinary equivalent of an Oscar" will mean the blocks-long lines at his 365 Connecticut St.
restaurant won't abate any time soon. Congratulations also go to New Era Cap. The Buffalo-headquartered company signed its first deal to make sportswear for Team USA at the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris this year.
As The News' Michael Petro wrote, this agreement marks Team USA's first-ever official product deal with a headwear-focused brand. Even better, the agreement extends into the Winter Olympics in Milan in 2026 and Summer Olympics Los Angeles in 2028. It includes LA28 Games, which is a "product line that will help bring a fresh look to the first summer Games held in the U.
S. in more than three decades." Linnea Neureuther, already a state champion and val.
