Judges' Comments
	"He is funny and unpredictable. His wry observations — ‘Does the butter always have to have that refrigerator taste?’ — are gems encased in every piece."
	Dining: With Oscar's Airport-area Dining Soars

John Kessler cooked his way up from assistant salad server to executive chef in fine-dining establishments in Washington, D.C. and Denver.

He traveled the world and become fluent in several foreign languages.

So, as you might expect, Kessler is no ordinary food critic.

His varied experiences, unquenchable curiosity about a broad range of subjects and razor-sharp wit distinguish his work.

He visits and savors the finest dining, but loves discovering the neighborhood ethnic restaurant. In his recent list of "50 dishes worth driving for" is everything from laksa, a Malaysian noodle dish with seafood and curry coconut broth to foie gras steamed in fig leaves.

He’s written about virtually every aspect of food and dining — from shady tipping practices in restaurants to Easy-Bake Ovens to the bizarre eating habits of pandas.

He uses his first-hand knowledge of restaurant kitchens as a reference point for assessing restaurants. But, he also uses humor and fun to keep you reading.

Kessler delights in finding an unpredictable story to tell even where the setting and menu seem all too familiar.

A Washington, D.C., native, Kessler graduated from Williams College in Williamstown, Mass., with a degree in the history of Ideas, as well as the two-year academic program at L’Academie de Cuisine in Bethesda, MD.

For seven years he worked as a professional cook in restaurants in Denver and Washington, D.C., performing every duty from assistant salad server to executive chef.

He was a food writer and dining critic for Westword, a Denver alternative paper, and the Denver Post prior to joining the Journal-Constitution in 1997.