Brandt Beef Congratulates James Beard Foundation Award Winners

BRAWLEY, CA--(Marketwire - June 26, 2008) - Brandt Beef --The True Natural, a single family owned, premium natural beef producer, congratulates James Beard Foundation award winners Gavin Kaysen and Josh Ozersky. Both long time supporters of Brandt Beef, Gavin Kaysen, executive chef at Café Boulud, New York was named Rising Star Chef of the Year at the awards ceremony on Sunday, June 8. Fellow award recipient, Josh Ozersky, food editor of NYMag.com's Grub Street was honored for his Multimedia Writing on Food during the journalism and broadcast media awards on Friday, June 6.

"We congratulate Gavin and Josh on their incredible accomplishments and well-deserved awards from the James Beard Foundation," said Eric Brandt, managing partner, Brandt Beef.

"Their commitment to excellence in their respective fields continues to draw attention from members of the culinary community," added Tom McAliney, executive chef, Brandt Beef. "This commitment involves supporting family farms like Brandt Beef and helping to raise awareness of our sustainable and artisanal practices which produce the best natural beef on the market."

Brandt Beef was selected as the entrée for the journalism and broadcast media awards celebration dinner. Chef Michael Lomonoco of Porter House New York served Brandt Beef's chile-rubbed prime rib eye, which was named New York City's best boutique cut of beef by New York Magazine for the second consecutive year.

The James Beard Foundation annual culinary awards, often referred to as the Oscars of the culinary world, were held at Avery Fisher Hall, Lincoln Center, New York. The red-carpet and black-tie affair, hosted by chef Bobby Flay and actress Kim Cattrall, was attended by more than 1,800 industry leaders. More than 50 awards were presented during the ceremony which celebrated the 2008 theme of "Artisanal America: The Craft of Cuisine."

The James Beard Foundation is dedicated to celebrating, preserving and nurturing America's culinary heritage and diversity in order to elevate the appreciation of our culinary excellence. A cookbook author and teacher with an encyclopedic knowledge of food, James Beard, who died in 1985, was a champion of American cuisine. He helped educate and mentor generations of professional chefs and food enthusiasts. Today, the Beard Foundation continues in the same spirit by administering a number of diverse programs that include educational initiatives, food industry awards, scholarships to culinary schools, and publications, by maintaining the historic James Beard House in New York City's Greenwich Village as a "performance space" for visiting chefs. The James Beard Foundation is a national not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization based in New York City. For more information, please visit www.jamesbeard.org.

About Brandt Beef

Brandt Beef -- The True Natural, is a single family owned premium natural beef producer for the up-scale restaurant and retail markets. The Brandt family is dedicated to sustainable practices and is passionate about producing the most consistent, highest quality, 100 percent source verified natural beef on the market. Through cattle selection, natural feeding practices and humane treatment of animals, Brandt Beef produces a product that is unparalleled in taste, tenderness and consistency. Brandt Beef received the Master Chefs' Institute Seal of Excellence for its achievement in obtaining the Master Chefs' Institute standard of quality. To obtain more information, get recipe ideas from Chef Tom McAliney or purchase various cuts of Brandt's premium natural beef, please visit www.brandtbeef.com.

Contact Information: Media Contacts: Sara DeNio Dresner Corporate Services 312-780-7223 sdenio@dresnerco.com David Gutierrez Dresner Corporate Services 312-780-7204 dgutierrez@dresnerco.com