James Beard
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- For New Zealand architect James (Jim) Beard, see James Beard (architect)
James Beard (May 5, 1903–January 21, 1985) was an American chef and food writer. James Beard is recognized by many as the father of American gastronomy. Throughout his life, he pursued and advocated the highest standards, and served as a mentor to emerging talents in the field of the culinary arts.
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[edit] Background & career
James Andrew Beard was born in Portland, Oregon to Elizabeth and John Beard. His mother operated a boarding house and his father worked at the city's Customs House. The family vacationed on the Pacific coast in Gearhart, Oregon. Here Beard was exposed to the unique local foods of the Pacific Northwest, including seafood and wild berries.
He trained initially as a singer and actor, and moved to New York City in 1937. Not having much luck in the theater, he and his friend, Bill Rhodes, capitalized on the cocktail party craze by opening a catering company, "Hors D'Oeuvre, Inc." which led the publication of Beard's first cookbook, Hors D'Oeuvre and Canapes, a compilation of his catering recipes. Rationing difficulties in World War II brought his catering business to a halt. In 1946 he appeared on an early televised cooking show, I Love to Eat on NBC, and thus began his rise as an eminent American food authority.
Over the next forty years, James Beard operated a cooking school out of his apartment in New York, wrote dozens of books on cooking and food, and hundreds of articles on food for many different magazines.
[edit] Beard's legacy: the James Beard House & the James Beard Foundation
After Beard's death in 1985, Julia Child had the idea to preserve his home in New York City as the gathering place it was throughout his life. Peter Kump, a former student of Beard's and the founder of the Institute of Culinary Education (formerly Peter Kump's New York Cooking School), spearheaded the effort to purchase the house and create the James Beard Foundation.
Beard's renovated brownstone is located at 167 West 12th Street, in the heart of Greenwich Village. It is North America's only historical culinary center, a place where Foundation members, the press, and the general public are encouraged to savor the creations of both established and emerging chefs from across the country and around the globe.
The annual James Beard Foundation Awards are given at the industry's biggest party, part of a fortnight of activities that celebrate fine cuisine and Beard's birthday. Held on the first Monday in May, the Awards ceremony honors the finest chefs, restaurants, journalists, cookbook authors, restaurant designers, and electronic media professionals in the country. It culminates in a reception featuring a tasting of the signature dishes of more than 30 of the James Beard Foundation's very best chefs.
A quarterly magazine, Beard House, is a comprehensive compendium of the best in culinary journalism. The foundation also publishes the James Beard Foundation Restaurant Directory, a directory of all chefs who have either presented a meal at the Beard House or have participated in one of the foundation's out-of-House fundraising events. In addition, the foundation produces a Directory of Fine Food and Beverage Professionals, billed as "an invaluable resource for anyone in the field."
[edit] Personal life
James Beard never married nor had any children. A closeted gay man for nearly all of his life, Beard would often voice his regret that those he found attractive (younger, slender men) rarely returned the favor. At times, frustrated by his personal situation, he would discuss his romantic life with long-time friend and confidante Julia Child.
[edit] Bibliography
Some of Beard's better known works are James Beard's American Cookery, Beard on Bread, Beard on Food, James Beard's Fish Cookery, The James Beard Cookbook, and The Armchair James Beard.
