James Beard News

Celebrated chef and restaurateur Aarón Sánchez will join Chefs Gordon Ramsay and Christina Tosi as the third judge throughout Season Eight of the hit culinary competition series MASTERCHEF.

UNiDAYS, the world's leading Student Affinity Network, today announced it has teamed with Bareburger, a healthy and fast casual restaurant chain that serves up a menu of organic burgers and other fare, free from GMOs and pesticides, to offer a college student incentive program in NYC. UNiDAYS provides student verification technology and integrated marketing solutions to connect brands with over 10 million Gen Z college students around the world.

Ft. Lauderdale-based Shula's Restaurants announces a special limited time offer burger in celebration of National Hamburger Month. The Pimento Cheese Burger features Shula's famous fresh, never-frozen blend of premium black angus chuck, short-rib and brisket topped with creamy pimento cheese, apple cider bacon and a crispy onion ring for $8.79. The burger will be available from May 1 st through June 30 th at all Shula Burger locations.

With the help of famed North Bay pastry artists, Luther Burbank Center for the Arts (LBC) announced today that it raised $400,000 at its 15th annual fundraiser, The Art of Dessert, held on Saturday, April 7, 2018. Proceeds from the fundraiser support the Luther Burbank Memorial Foundation, which allows LBC to engage Sonoma County residents in the power of the arts, from world class performances to nationally-recognized education programs. Since its inception, the annual fundraiser has raised $3.6 million and helped provide the enrichment of arts to over 400,000 children.

Celebrity Chef Robert Irvine (Star of Food Network's Restaurant: Impossible) will host the 2nd Annual Beats 'n Eats Food + Music Event on Monday, May 21st, 2018 from 7:00 p.m.- 11:00 p.m. (VIP and press reception held 6:00-7:00 p.m.) at the iconic Fillmore Philadelphia venue (29 E Allen Street, Philadelphia PA). Proceeds from the event will be donated to the Robert Irvine Foundation.

The MINA Group invites guests to finish Grand L?nai Restaurant Week by spending an evening with Restauranteur and James Beard Award-winning Chef Michael Mina as he personally walks them through his three current Hawai?i creations: STRIPSTEAK Waikiki, The Street Food Hall by Michael Mina and MINA's Fish House. The experience begins with a reception hosted at 5:30 PM at STRIPSTEAK Waikiki located on the Grand L?nai of International Market Place. Reception small bites will feature items from Little Lafa, Nana Lu, International Smoke and more, while indulging in the infamous "If Can, Can" Signature Cocktail from Kai Poke, all from The Street Food Hall by Michael Mina. The four-course seated dinner beings promptly at 6:00 PM with a Michael Mina signature dish and continues to feature MINA's Fish House and STRIPSTEAK centric courses expertly paired with distinctive wine selections by the sommelier team. 

Boston Calling announces its largest food and drink lineup to date. With over 150 menu items to choose from this year, the festival rolls out a lineup of incredible new restaurants, chefs and food vendors alongside several returning favorites. Plenty of local and international craft beers and wines will round out this year's menu. Boston Calling takes place Memorial Day Weekend, May 25-27, 2018 at the Harvard Athletic Complex in Allston (65 North Harvard Street, Boston). Tickets are available at www.bostoncalling.com.

Garden & Gun, widely known as the authority on Southern culture, in partnership with Maker's Mark and Bourbon Country, announces Mint Julep Month (April 5 to May 5) a national campaign that celebrates the mint julep beyond one day of horse racing and encourages participants to ditch plastic straws in support of water sustainability efforts. Mint Julep Month was started in 2013 by the Louisville Convention and Visitors Bureau to encourage excitement throughout the city and along the Urban Bourbon Trail leading up to Derby season.

The Women's Board of Lyric Opera of Chicago is pleased to announce the Lyric Opera Wine Auction catalogue is now live for viewing and online bidding online at www.lyricopera.org/wineauction2018. The triennial fundraiser's digital platform offers wine enthusiasts across the globe the ability to access some of the world's most sought-after wines as well as one-of-a-kind travel and dining experiences.

Tickets are now available for the 38 th annual Auction Napa Valley, the American Wine Classic. Hosted by the Napa Valley Vintners (NVV) nonprofit association to raise funds for community health and children's education, this year's Auction Napa Valley takes place May 31-June 2, 2018. Details, including ticket package options, can be found at auctionnapavalley.org.

Travel Channel to Add 52 Episodes of BIZARRE FOODS: DELICIOUS DESTINATIONS Hosted by Andrew Zimmern

James Beard Award-winning chef Nobuo Fukuda will demonstrate his East-meets-West approach to cooking at 6:30 p.m. April 6 in the Virginia G. Piper Theater at the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts.

Surf 'n Gourmet, a travel and food reality TV show, combines a surfing adventure with unique local cuisine as seen through the eyes of chefs who love food, surfing and life. Shot in gorgeous High Definition video, the cinematography captures the beauty of the locations, incredible surfing and mouthwatering images of the food. See Video News Release.

WaterTower Theatre announced today details of its 2018 Spring Gala, to be held on Friday, May 11, 2018 at 7 pm. The 2018 Spring Gala is chaired by Tara Lewis, aided by Underwriting Chair and WaterTower Theater Board member Craig Sutton. The Honorary Chair is WaterTower Theatre Board member and past gala chair Barbara Daseke.

International bestselling author and renowned television host Steven Raichlen will launch a new public television series premiering just in time for this summer's barbecuing season. Steven Raichlen's Project Fire offers viewers an insightful exploration of how Americans grill today and how people will grill and smoke tomorrow. Steven Raichlen's Project Fire, filmed on location at the 10,000-acre Alisal Guest Ranch & Resort in California's scenic Santa Ynez Valley, explores the latest trends and techniques in contemporary grilling, using a dynamic format that includes on-set guests, off-road field trips and a surprising collection of new tools, fuels, grills, and smokers. The series' field segments feature some of the most talked about live-fire restaurants in Southern California, from Industrial Eats and The Bear and Star in the Santa Ynez Valley to Gwen, Charcoal Venice, Chi Spacca, Park's Barbeque, and Odys + Penelope in Los Angeles. The new series reveals an inspiring range of techniques to elevate the backyard grilling experience, from ember-roasting to high-tech spit-roasting. Raichlen also introduces new foods, from unfamiliar steak cuts to eco-friendly seafood, and new twists on popular classics, from pastrami beef ribs to wood-fired paella. Upcoming Steven Raichlen's Project Fire season one episode highlights include Grilling 24/7 (yes, he grills eggs), Extreme Grilling (using hot iron, live embers, and more), and The Vineyard Grill (exploring the intimate connection between grilling and wine). Viewers also get insights on such Raichlen innovations as brisket tacos, pork loin 'Reuben,' finger-burner lamb chops, and orange-mint mojo grilled lobsters. Of course, Raichlen grills dessert, from Brazilian pineapple to cedar planked chocolate brownie s'mores, along with smoked peach Bellinis to wash them down. The new series comes from the same production team that brought viewers Steven Raichlen's Project Smoke and Primal Grill. Steven Raichlen's Project Fire is a co-production of Maryland Public Television, Barbacoa, Inc. and Resolution Pictures. The series is distributed by American Public Television. Funding for the series is provided by iBBQ, Inc.; YETI; Bradley Smoker, Inc.; Memphis Wood Fire Grills, LLC; Komodo Kamado; Maverick Industries, Inc.; Kalamazoo Outdoor Gourmet; FOGO Charcoal; Adrenaline Barbecue Company LLC; Shun Cutlery / KAI USA; Creekstone Farms Premium Beef LLC; Gnarly Head Wines; Pit Barrel Cooker Co.; and Workman Publishing. Viewers interested in watching the new series are encouraged to contact their local public television station to find out when it will be available in your area. Locate your station here: http://www.pbs.org/about/about-pbs/stations/

Today, Luther Burbank Center for the Arts (LBC) announced that 30 pastry artists from North Bay bakeries, restaurants and catering companies will participate in the annual benefit, The Art of Dessert, on Saturday, April 7, 2018 in the Center's Lytton Rancheria Grand Lobby (50 Mark West Springs Road in Santa Rosa). The Art of Dessert-now in its 15th year-features one-of-a-kind confections created by the North Bay's most esteemed pastry artists. The desserts are judged by a panel of local celebrities, and will double as artistic table centerpieces and the delectable final course. The Art of Dessert raises vital funds for the Luther Burbank Memorial Foundation, which allows LBC to engage Sonoma County residents in the power of the arts, from world class performances to nationally recognized education programs that change the lives of 40,000 children annually. Since its inception, The Art of Dessert has raised $3.2 million and helped the Luther Burbank Center for the Arts provide the enrichment of arts to more than 400,000 children.

Winner of the 2018 Silver Medal in The Global Tea Championship for exceptional quality and taste, Hanami is named for the annual Japanese Cherry Blossom festival. Each cup invites tea lovers around the world to breathe in, behold and appreciate the fleeting beauty of spring flowers in bloom.

The Street Food Hall by Michael Mina is approaching its one-year anniversary and is launching several new concepts in the very popular eatery located on the ground floor of the International Marketplace. One of the exciting new hawker stations is Mina's Battle Royale: Surf vs. Turf, a rotating pop-up concept featuring seafood and delicious meats. The current offering boasts crave worthy lobster rolls and French Dip style roast beef sandwiches and is drawing hungry crowds every day. 

The ninth season of CONTACT!, the New York Philharmonic's new-music series, concludes with a co-presentation by the Philharmonic and National Sawdust in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, featuring Musicians from the New York Philharmonic performing works by emerging Russian composers: Dmitri Kourliandski's Voice-off, with vocalist Ethan Hayden in his Philharmonic debut, and the U.S. Premieres of Denis Khorov's Barcarolle, Marina Khorkova's VORderGRENZE, Alexander Khubeev's Ghost of Dystopia, conducted by Jeffrey Milarsky, and Nikolay Popov's Nibiru 20/13. Hosted by Esa-Pekka Salonen, the concert will take place on Monday, April 2, 2018, at 7:30 p.m. at National Sawdust.

Five culinary graduates of The Art Institutes system of schools were named semifinalists in the prestigious 2018 James Beard Awards.