James Beard Awards 2009: After-parties

Avery Fisher Hall

As one of dozens of female chefs cooking tonight, Missy (left) doesn’t really see cooking in terms of gender: “I think it’s nice to be honored as a group. But I’ve never thought about it as female, non-female. I’ve just cooked for a long time, tried to succeed to make people love my food. I have a lot of friends who are nominated tonight from Chicago and friends in general that I’m supporting all the way.”