Cheers to Hunter Angler Gardener Cook!

I learned long ago that life doesn't play favorites. No matter how good you are, or how good you think you are, it will periodically smack you in the face, as if to say, "Hey pal, no one gets a free ride."

But then there are those moments when talent and hard work actually seem to matter, and you get to revel, for a moment, in some well-deserved acclaim.

Today is one of those days for Boyfriend. If you've been to our house, you know that boy can cook. If you've been to his blog, you know that boy can write. And if you've been to this website, you know it's not just you and I who are in on this secret.

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That's because the announcement came today: His blog, Hunter Angler Gardener Cook, is a finalist for a James Beard Award.

Yeah, it was sweet when he was featured in the latest issue of Field & Stream - great that the hunting world recognized his writing on wild game cookery. But the James Beard Award is a big deal in the food world, which is considerably larger than the hunting world.

It would be a big deal for any food writer. And hell yes, I'm proud of him. He works hard, and he's got skills, and I love that he's getting some attention for that.

But even if none of that moves you, this should: The most prestigious awards program for food writing is recognizing a blog that's largely dedicated to the wild game diet. Boyfriend's ethic in the kitchen, and his bread and butter for that blog, is honoring the game we are privileged to hunt. And for at least this moment, that ethic is rippling out beyond the little pond occupied by the 6 percent of American adults who hunt.

And that's pretty cool.

I hope you'll take a moment to send your congratulations to him - he wrote about the award in an irritatingly humble fashion here.

And we'll get back to you May 3 to let you know how it goes. We'll be in New York City to find out.

Wait... I can't end it there. Someone's bound to ask why, even when he has received this great honor, I still don't call him by name.

The answer is ... habit. In my first month of blogging, I told a story in which he was the star. Or perhaps "villain" is a better word. When I got to the part where I needed to quote myself swearing at him, I looked over my shoulder - toward the kitchen, of course - and asked whether he was comfortable with me using his first name in the story.

Given the nature of the story and the horrible thing he'd done, he said, "Uh... No." And from that day on, I've just referred to him as "Boyfriend."

Click here to read that story. But first, please click here to send him your best wishes. Despite what he did in that story.

© Holly A. Heyser 2009