All-Star Barbara Lynch to join Local Star Michael Cimarusti and Pastry Chef Shannon Swindle on October 6 at Vibiana for once-in-a-lifetime culinary experience
The James Beard Foundation (JBF) is pleased to announce that tickets for the fifth anniversary year of the Taste America® national culinary tour are now on sale at jamesbeard.org/taste-america-tickets. The cross-country program will heat up this fall in ten dynamic culinary destinations including Austin, Boston, Chicago, Kansas City, Los Angeles, New Orleans, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Francisco and Seattle.
Los Angeles’ weekend-long Taste America program will feature a one-of-a-kind benefit dinner prepared by Taste America All-Star Barbara Lynch, Local Star Michael Cimarusti, and pastry chef Shannon Swindle***, as well as free in-store consumer events at Sur La Table® - Farmer’s Market with celebrity chef appearances, cooking demonstrations, book signings, tastings from local producers and artisans, and more.
Los Angeles’ itinerary will kick off on Friday, October 6 at Vibiana with A Night of Culinary Stars, an exclusive dining event benefiting the James Beard Foundation. The evening will begin with a reception filled with cocktails and hors d’oeuvres from local chefs and restaurateurs, including Evan Funke*** (Felix, Venice), Justin Hilbert (Maude***, Beverly Hills), Sara Kramer*** (Kismet, Los Angeles), and David Schlosser (Shibumi***, Los Angeles) as well as host chef Neal Fraser (Redbird, Los Angeles). Afterwards, guests will be seated for an extraordinary one-night-0nly dinner prepared by 2017 TIMES 100 honoree and Taste America All-Star Barbara Lynch (Barbara Lynch Gruppo, Boston) along with Local Star Michael Cimarusti (Providence and Connie and Ted’s, Los Angeles) and pastry chef Shannon Swindle (Craft Los Angeles, Los Angeles).
The benefit dinner is co-chaired by Robert Schueller (Director of Public Relations, Melissa’s Produce), Bill Chait and Caryl Chinn (Managing Partner and Marketing Communications, Tartine Manufactory), and Ye-Hui Goldenson (Director of Public Relations, Neiman Marcus Beverly Hills), as well as a host committee comprised of several prominent members of the community and Honorary Chef Committee member Mary Sue Milliken* (Chef Owner, Border Grill Restaurants and Trucks).
On Saturday, October 7, free in-store consumer events will take place at Sur La Table® located at the Farmers Market, located at 6333 West 3rd Street, Los Angeles, CA 90036. Activities of the day will include a cooking demonstrations by All-Star Barbara Lynch and Local Star Michael Cimarusti, book signings, tastings from local producers and artisans, as well as product demonstrations and tastings from our national sponsors. Reservations for the free cooking demonstrations will begin Friday, September 22 at jamesbeard.org/taste-america-los-angeles.
Below is the JBF’s Fifth Anniversary Taste America program calendar:
· Sept. 22-23
o Phoenix: All-Star Traci Des Jardins*; Local Star Nobuo Fukuda*
· Oct. 6-7
o Los Angeles: All-Star Barbara Lynch*; Local Star Michael Cimarusti**
o New Orleans: All-Star (to be announced soon); Local Star Rebecca Wilcomb*
· Oct. 13-14
o Philadelphia: All-Star Marc Murphy*; Local Star Greg Vernick*
o Seattle: All-Star (to be announced soon); Local Star Matt Dillon*
· Oct. 27-28
o Chicago: All-Star Michael Voltaggio; Local Star Stephanie Izard*
o San Francisco: All-Star Hugh Acheson*; Local Stars Stuart Brioza* & Nicole Krasinski*
· Nov. 3-4
o Austin: All-Star Ludo Lefebvre**; Local Star Tyson Cole*
o Boston: All-Star Daniel Boulud*; Local Star Karen Akunowicz**
· Nov. 10-11
o Kansas City: All-Star Tony Mantuano*; Local Star Debbie Gold*
*Notes James Beard Award Winner
**Notes James Beard Award Nominee
***Notes James Beard Award Semifinalist
The James Beard Foundation’s Taste America 2017 is made possible by the generosity of our sponsors and partners, including supporting sponsors Blue Circle Foods®, Breville®, Kerrygold, Sodexo, TABASCO®, and Windstar Cruises; national media/marketing partners The Daily Meal®, Destinations International and Off Duty / The Wall Street Journal; and founding partner Bowen & Company. Additional support is provided by Chefwear, Hansgrohe, and VerTerra Dinnerware. Local partners include Uncle Ben’s. Special thanks to The Brand Coast, Entropy Collective, Gamma Nine, Guittard Chocolate Company, Vibiana, and VOSS Water.
“More and more, we are hearing from our passionate community of food lovers that they wish our famous Beard House dining experience in New York would be available in their city,” said Susan Ungaro, president of the James Beard Foundation. “How exciting that we are in our fifth anniversary year and able to bring James Beard Award−winning chefs, many of whom are returning All-Stars, to 10 great cities across the country. We thank all the chefs, partners and sponsors who make it possible to help support our many educational programs at a time when culinary tourism is exploding in popularity.”
The James Beard Foundation is proud to donate a portion of the evening’s proceeds to the Taste America Scholarship Fund. Local culinary students in the ten participating states were invited to apply for this culinary scholarship between April 1 and May 15, 2017, via jamesbeard.org. Candidates will be reviewed by the JBF Scholarship Selection Committee, chaired by JBF president Susan Ungaro.
For more information on JBF’s Fifth Anniversary Taste America culinary tour, please visit jamesbeard.org/tasteamerica.
About the James Beard Foundation
Founded in 1986, the James Beard Foundation celebrates, nurtures, and honors chefs and other leaders making America’s food culture more delicious, diverse, and sustainable for everyone. A cookbook author and teacher with an encyclopedic knowledge about food, the late James Beard was a champion of American cuisine. He helped educate and mentor generations of professional chefs and food enthusiasts, instilling in them the value of wholesome, healthful, and delicious food. Today JBF continues in the same spirit by administering a number of diverse programs that include educational initiatives, food industry awards, scholarships for culinary students, publications, chef advocacy training, and thought-leader convening. The Foundation also maintains the historic James Beard House in New York City’s Greenwich Village as a “performance space” for visiting chefs. For more information, please visit jamesbeard.org. Get food news, recipes, and more at the James Beard Foundation’s blog, or subscribe to the free digital newsletter Beard Bites. Follow @beardfoundation on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and Snapchat. Watch the James Beard House Kitchen Cam, James Beard Awards, and more on the Foundation’s Livestreamchannel. Find more JBF-related video on the Foundation’s YouTube channels.
