Congrats to Gabriel Rucker (Little Bird/Le Pigeon) for taking home the James Beard Rising Star Chef of the Year Award. Rucker's star has been rising for awhile now—this is his fourth time nominated—but as it's the 30-year-old chef's last year of eligibility, it's about time he got his due.
According to the James Beard blog, Delights and Prejudices, Rucker was so nervous for the awards that he packed two left shoes. Click through for a picture of the purple sneakers he ended up pairing with his black tie.