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.

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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.