James Beard News

LAS VEGAS, NV - Celebrity Chef Ben Vaughn will host the Second Annual World Food Championships this November throughout the Fremont Street Experience and Fremont East districts of downtown Las Vegas. Vaughn, host of Food Network's 'Health Inspectors,' will guide event attendees through the four-day culinary showdown, scheduled for Nov. 7-10, as roughly 400 food champions compete for their portion of the $300,000 prize purse.

As a new social season begins on Miami Beach, renowned chefs, restaurateurs, real estate developers and hoteliers continue to invest in the city; bringing their businesses and brands here as Miami Beach ups its game, attracting an increased number of global (and U.S.) residents who are putting down stakes - and visitors who are curious about this city by the sea that is buzzed about everywhere. Brand Miami Beach has truly become an IT destination. And the numbers tell the story: Over a dozen celebrity chefs call Miami Beach home; 50 new restaurants and 13 new hotels have opened or are slated to open this year and luxury condo buildings are going up every few months. Miami Beach is a lightning rod - a beacon - and just when you thought it couldn't get any sexier or hotter, the culinary, real estate and arts scenes - among others - continues to explode. As the 2013-14 season opens, "New" is the code word all over the city.

Released October 8th on Tuttle Publishing, 'The Sustainable Asian House' features photos by award-winning photographer Masano Kawana. The fascinating book is written by Indesign magazine's editor, Dr. Paul McGillick. Featuring 27 Asian homes that are both aesthetically innovative and traditional in craftsmanship, the book celebrates the new architectural vocabulary of environmental, social, and cultural sustainability now emerging in Southeast Asia, specifically Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, and the Philippines.

Colorado Culinary Academy, the leading professional accelerated culinary training program, announced today that Chef Paul Virant, Michelin Star ranked, James Beard recognized, chef and owner of both Chicago-based restaurants - Vie and Perennial Virant - will deliver the keynote address to the inaugural graduating class on Saturday, November 23, 2013, in Greenwood Village, CO. Chef Virant will also receive his honorary diploma from the Colorado Culinary Academy during graduation ceremony.

Calling all lovers of literature, good food, and literature about good food, Pen Parentis has a wonderful Literary Salon planned for November, featuring four excellent food writers! Caroline M. Grant, co-editor of The Cassoulet Saved Our Marriage: True Tales of Food, Family, and How We Learn to Eat, will read from her anthology, along with contributing food journalists Aleksandra Crapanzano and Edward Lewine.

CHICAGO, Oct. 2, 2013 /PRNewswire/  Today, Thompson Hotels announces the opening of Thompson Chicago, the latest property in its portfolio of leading luxury lifestyle hotels. Located in the heart of Chicago's famed Gold Coast, the 247-room hotel debuts with unobstructed, spectacular views of Lake Michigan and the Chicago skyline, and offers personalized service and attention to its savvy clientele of business and leisure travelers.

Bravo Media's Emmy and James Beard Award-winning series, TOP CHEF, is back and heads to New Orleans for season 11 tonight, October 2 at 10PM ET/PT.

Bravo Media has cooked up dynamic sponsorships with Toyota, Kraft Foods, Chase Sapphire Preferred and Cigna for the eleventh season of Bravo's Emmy and James Beard Award-winning series 'Top Chef,' premiering Wednesday, October 2 at 10p.m. ET/PT. These deals represent partnerships across linear, digital, and social platforms, marking the most robust group of online and in-show integration presence in Bravo's history. The announcement was made by Jamie Cutburth, VP of Partnership Marketing, Bravo Media.

SEATTLE, Oct. 1, 2013 /PRNewswire/ The Space Needle's Executive Chef Jeff Maxfield of SkyCity at the Needle has the distinguished honor to showcase his culinary skills to a sold-out crowd on Saturday, October 19, at the historic James Beard House in New York City. Maxfield's 'Savoring Seattle' menu is part of the Beard House's guest chef event series where top chefs throughout the world are invited to present a themed menu. Chef Maxfield will showcase the delicious bounty of the Pacific Northwest through dishes that highlight seasonal fall ingredients, as well as regional delights of land and sea.

Dunkin' Donuts, America's all-day, everyday stop for coffee and baked goods, has been helping guests enjoy the fall season by offering one of the largest varieties of pumpkin food and beverages of any national restaurant chain, including pumpkin coffees, lattes, donuts, muffins and a new Pumpkin Pie Donut and new Frozen Pumpkin Coffee Coolatta. To help people bring the passion for pumpkin into their own kitchens, Dunkin' Brands' Executive Chef and Vice President of Product Innovation Stan Frankenthaler, a three-time James Beard Award nominee and co-author of The Occidental Tourist, today shared two new special, simple seasonal recipes, Pumpkin Munchkins Whoopie Pies and Pumpkin Donut Parfait.

The recipient of two Lifetime Achievement Awards (from the James Beard Foundation in 2000, and the IACP in 2004) and a knighthood from her own country, Marcella Hazan died today at 89 at her home in Florida.

WASHINGTON, DC - In August, JW Marriott Washington, DC announced the appointment of Mark Quitney as Executive Chef Quitney brings over 30 years culinary experience, which include 20 years at Marriott International, to the luxury hotel's culinary team.

Telemundo announced today that the 2013 Billboard Mexican Music Awards will be hosted by leading telenovela actor Rafael Amaya and the talented and beautiful actress Aylin Mujica. The third annual Awards show, set to broadcast live on Wednesday, October 9 at 7pm/6c from the legendary Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California, is the only awards show on a major network that honors Mexican music. Tickets to the coveted ceremony are available on Ticketmaster.com, by phone at 1-800-745-3000, and at the Dolby Theatre box office. Additional information about the Billboard Mexican Music Awards, including the complete list of finalists, is available at www.Telemundo.com/PremiosBillboard, the official website for the 2013 Billboard Mexican Music Awards.

Broadway In Chicago has announced that TO MASTER THE ART, by William Brown and Doug Frew, will host post-show Q&A discussions with Chicago's own award-winning chefs and renowned restaurant professionals at the Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place (175 E. Chestnut). Created to celebrate the continuing influence of Julia Child as well as Chicago's own thriving restaurants, special guests will share stories from their own experiences and how Julia Child inspired them in the food industry.

Performance Network Theatre invites supporters to its First Annual Spotlight Supper Club where they will have the opportunity to celebrate Performance Network's fantastic upcoming 2013-2014 epically intimate season with artists like Naz Edwards, Aral Gribble, Carla Milarch, David Wells and the Performance Network Staff while sharing a menu designed specifically for the 2013-14 season by world-renowned Chef Alex at Zingerman's Roadhouse tonight, September 16th, 2013 at 7pm.

Battledish, an international chef competition comes to your city this fall. Chefs compete for the title "King of Battledish".

The stars have aligned for New Orleans and Bravo's Emmy and James Beard Award-winning series TOP CHEF as it prepares to launch season 11 of the culinary competition series

Celebrity chef, restaurateur and author Marcus Samuelsson has joined ABC's cooking competition show 'The Taste' as its newest mentor. Chef Samuelsson joins chef and television personality Anthony Bourdain, British food star Nigella Lawson and chef and author Ludo Lefebvre as they begin production on the show's second season (airdate TBD).

Joe Famularo, who grew up with his Italian-American family in New York when the Great Depression was in full swing, recounts his youth, and how his family's love for authentic Italian food helped them weather those difficult days. The narrative of his book, Crazy for Italian Food, primarily occurs in Hell's Kitchen, on the far west side of Manhattan. At the time, the area was populated with Italian immigrant families, along with Irish, German and Jewish communities, and at that time, Italian cuisine was the most popular, as it is today.

Broadway In Chicago has announced that TO MASTER THE ART, by William Brown and Doug Frew, will host post-show Q&A discussions with Chicago's own award-winning chefs and renowned restaurant professionals at the Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place (175 E. Chestnut). Created to celebrate the continuing influence of Julia Child as well as Chicago's own thriving restaurants, special guests will share stories from their own experiences and how Julia Child inspired them in the food industry.