The Legacy of James Beard

Chicago Hosts 25th Anniversary of James Beard Foundation Awards

Presented by Susan Ungaro, President
James Beard Foundation, New York

With a special introduction by
Steve Dolinsky,
13-time James Beard Award-winning food reporter (ABC 7)

Just who was James Beard and why did he have such a profound impact on America’s culinary scene? Who better to answer this question than Susan Ungaro, president of the James Beard Foundation, the country’s preeminent culinary organization dedicated to celebrating, nurturing, and honoring America’s diverse culinary heritage through programs that educate and inspire.  

Susan will be in town for the James Beard Foundation Awards Ceremony and Gala that will be held at the Lyric Opera of Chicago on May 4. The 25thanniversary of the annual awards, considered the Oscars of the food industry, will take place for the first time ever outside of New York City.

Please join us as Susan tells the history of James Beard and evolution of the James Beard Foundation. She will show a trailer from “America’s First Foodie,” an upcoming feature length documentary chronicling the life of the “Dean of American Cookery”; as well as a clip of James Beard on the Today Show and his groundbreaking cooking show “I Love to Eat,” a live television series on NBC which aired from August 1946 to 1947. Susan will also present a video that recaps the numerous James Beard Foundation programs including the Awards Gala at Lincoln Center in New York City; Taste America national epicurean tour and one-of-kind fundraising dinners at the historic James Beard House in Greenwich Village. The video will also touch upon the scholarship programs and grant; Chefs Boot Camp for Policy & Change; JBF Leadership Awards, which recognize visionaries in business, government, and education sectors responsible for creating a more sustainable food world; and the annual JBF Food Conference, which fosters dialogue and action to improve our nation’s food system.

We will also have a sampling of some of James Beard’s favorite recipes from his groundbreaking cookbooks, prepared by our volunteers.

All recipes for this event were prepared from: James Beard’s American Cookery (1972) by James Beard

Bacon Potato Salad, p 72
Prepared by Patricia Heinze

Chicken Teriyaki, p 190
Prepared by Catherine Lambrecht & Deb Silberstein

My Mother’s Standard Cream of Tomato Soup,
p 95
Prepared by Chef Deb Silberstein

Onion sandwiches, p 813
Prepared by Chef Deb Silberstein

1-2-3-4 Cake, pp 650-651
Prepared by Chef Joan Hersh

Snickerdoodle, p 648
Prepared by Margaret Sheridan and Patricia Heinze

* * *

BIO: Susan Ungaro is President of the James Beard Foundation (JBF), the country’s preeminent culinary organization. Since 2006, Ms. Ungaro has expanded the Foundation’s culinary scholarship program; increased its educational programs at the historic James Beard House in Greenwich Village; relocated the annual James Beard Foundation Awards Gala to Lincoln Center in New York City, and in 2015 to Chicago, where it will be held on Monday, May 4, at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. Among her numerous honors, Susan was named one of The Daily Meal’s 50 Most Powerful People in Food four years in a row; been recognized with Irish America magazine’s Top Business 100 Award; and the Muriel Fox Communications Award from the NOW Legal Defense & Education Fund . Susan’s frequent television appearances include: Food Network’s Iron Chef,Beat Bobby Flay and Dinner Impossible, Bravo’s Top Chef, NBC’s Today show, ABC’s Good Morning America, CBS’s Early Show, and MSNBC’s Morning Joe.

* * *

Saturday, May 2, 2015
10 a.m. to noon
at
Kendall College, School of Culinary Arts
900 N. North Branch street, chicago
(located just north of W. Chicago Ave. at n. halsted St.)
Free parking in lot on north side of school

Cost of the lecture program is $10.

To reserve, please go to EventBrite to purchase tickets.

Please direct any questions to: CulinaryHistorians@gmail.com