The New York City event will be the first in the Foundation’s newly expanded Taste America series, now in its seventh year, which will bring the Foundation’s Good Food for Good™ programs to more than 20 U.S. cities, including: Atlanta; Boston; Charleston, SC; Chicago; Dallas; Denver; Houston; Kansas City, MO; Los Angeles; Louisville, KY; Miami; Minneapolis/St. Paul; Nashville; New Orleans; Philadelphia; Phoenix; Portland, OR; San Francisco; Seattle; and Washington, D.C.
Guests at the launch event will join event co-hosts Olympic figure skater Sasha Cohen and actress Bellamy Young to enjoy seasonal bites and beverages created by tastemakers from across the country. Expect dishes from guest chefs from many of the Taste America tour stops, including James Beard Award nominee Tiffani Faison of Tiger Mama (presented by Greater Boston Convention & Visitors Bureau); Marc Collins of Circa 1886 (presented by Explore Charleston); Kevin Beary of Three Dots and a Dash and CJ Jacobson of Aba (presented by Choose Chicago); Nichelle Thurston of The Seafood Lady (presented by Louisville Tourism); Brad Kilgore of Kilgore Culinary (presented by Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau); Andy Little of Josephine (presented by Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp); and James Beard Award nominee Rich Landau, co-owner of Vedge (presented by VISIT PHILADELPHIA®).
“Taste America gives food lovers across the country an opportunity to have a unique dining experience while learning more about the impact of their food choices frompassionate leaders who are changing the landscape of the food industry,” said Clare Reichenbach, chief executive officer of the James Beard Foundation. “Taste America is a celebratory manifestation of our mantra: Good Food for Good.”
The New York City celebration will bring the James Beard Foundation’s Waste Not initiative to life, featuring a full-use kitchen demonstration hosted by chefs Esther Choi of Mokbar andKwame Williams of Vital Dining, who will provide dishes, techniques, and tips that inspire home cooks to reduce food waste in their own cooking. The Foundation is also partnering with Food Recovery Network to ensure that Taste America events are Food Recovery Verified, meaning that all surplus food from these events will be recovered and donated to hunger-fighting nonprofits, who support food insecure individuals, in each city. Through Food Recovery2 Verified, the Foundation can do its part to reduce food waste and hunger at the community level.
Tickets for the NYC launch event are on sale now at jamesbeard.org/tasteamerica.
