North Fork Chef Named James Beard Semifinalist

North Fork Table & Inn partner Gerry Hayden has been named a semifinalist in the annual James Beard Foundation Awards for the third year in a row, according to Newsday's Explore LI blog.

Hayden was diagnosed with ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease and the report said that he is no longer the day-to-day chef at the restaurant.

Hayden and restaurant co-owner Claudia Flemming attended The ALS Association Greater New York Chapter's Lou Gehrig Sports Awards Dinner this past November, an event honors celebrities who work to bring awareness to the disease.

In that same month, Chef Chris Bradley of Untitled (at the Whitney Museum) -who considers Hayden a "mentor and dear friend" - created a special soup sold at Hale & Hearty, a chain of New York City soup resturants, where a portion of proceeds went to benefit ALS research and patient services.

Click here to read the full report on Newsday's website.