…for Best Chef Northwest!!!!Here she is prepping for her course, a beef carpaccio made from Skagit River Ranch beef (that’s Eiko for Skagit River on the left!) Congratulations to all the nominees, surely a tough category. I used to work with Maria, and I always remember her for being calm, cool and collected, not to mention having a wicked good palate that had confidence in simple, exceptional ingredients.Maria, the chef/owner of Tilth Restaurant in Wallingford, was one of twenty female chefs from across the country invited to cook for tonight’s event, to celebrate the theme, “Women in Food.” This is her first win and third nomination. For more on the James Beard Awards, visit www.jbfawards.com.