James Beard News

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.

Windstar Cruises and the James Beard Foundation are serving up the best reasons to explore the world through expert-led, locally-inspired cruise cuisine, as the award-winning small ship cruise line and preeminent American culinary organization sign a multi-year agreement to continue their exclusive partnership, through early 2021. The long-term partnership is a result of past successes of the unique travel-culinary program, which hand-picks acclaimed culinary experts to share their knowledge of cuisines of the world with travelers, and showcases exclusive recipes and experiences on sailings across Windstar's fleet of six elegant ships. The relationship began in 2016 and grew in 2017 into an exclusive partnership naming Windstar the Official Cruise Line of the James Beard Foundation, a title that embodies the line's commitment to elevated epicurean experiences around the world.

Bravo Media's Emmy and James Beard Award-winning “Top Chef” will call Kentucky home for season 16. The state's “Unbridled Spirit” will reign supreme as a new batch of cheftestants enter the kitchen to battle it out for the coveted title across the thriving culinary scenes in Louisville, Lexington and Lake Cumberland. With Bourbon, horses and Bluegrass music setting the scene, the culinary competition series will explore this unique region of the country, rising through the ranks as a top destination for foodies and chefs. Production will begin in the spring of 2018 with the season set to premiere later this year. The announcement was made today in partnership with the Kentucky Department of Tourism.

Today, Luther Burbank Center for the Arts (LBC) announced its 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). Now in its 15th year, The Art of Dessert, an evening of fine dining, features one-of-a-kind confections created by famed North Bay pastry artists. Desserts will be 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 the Center 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 Center provide the enrichment of arts to over 400,000 children.

Travel Channel To Present THE ZIMMERN LIST With Culinary Explorer Andrew Zimmern

As one of one of the world's most well-traveled food explorers, Travel Channel host Andrew Zimmern is an expert on all the best things to eat in a city. Now, in the new series “The Zimmern List,” premiering with back-to-back episodes on Tuesday, March 13 at 9 p.m. ET/PT, Zimmern is sharing his personal recommendations on the food and places where he most loves to eat. In each of the 18 half-hour episodes, Zimmern literally serves as the viewers guide to each town he visits. While immersed in the unique food culture, he reveals some of his favorite eating experiences. Throw out the guidebooks because Zimmern knows where to picnic with a sandwich from his favorite Italian deli in Boston and where to find the best taco truck for casual late-night dining in Las Vegas.

Les Dames d'Escoffier Hawaii Chapter is holding its annual fundraiser, "Roots Run Deep" on Sunday, March 18, 2018 at Mari's Gardens to benefit their "Dames who Donate" Scholarship Fund. Chef Vivian Howard was last year's James Beard Award winner for Outstanding Personality/Host for her work in PBS' popular show 'A Chef's Life,' and is a four-time James Beard semifinalist for Best Chef in America: Southeast. Vivian, a Dame herself, will be joined by local Chef Ed Kenney, who hosts his own Emmy Award winning PBS show, "Family Ingredients." Ed is also a four-time James Beard semifinalist for Best Chef in America: West. The evening will feature Kenney and Howard alongside some of the members of the Hawaii chapter of Les Dames d'Escoffier, including Lee Anne Wong, Michelle Karr-Ueoka, Jackie Lau, Maria Short and Abigail Langlas among many others.