Latest / Chef's PSA Podcast / Inside the James Beard Awards Process: Elizabeth Falkner and Dawn Padmore | Chef's PSA Podcast Ep. 125

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Inside the James Beard Awards Process: Elizabeth Falkner and Dawn Padmore | Chef's PSA Podcast Ep. 125 · Chef's PSA Podcast

0:00
Hello chefs. This is Chef's PSA podcast.
0:02
I'm your host, Andre Natera. Today we have a very special
0:05
episode. It's award season and we're
0:07
going to be talking with the James Beard Foundation.
0:09
My two guests today are Don Padmore, who is the vice
0:13
president of awards at the James Spirit Foundation and Chef
0:17
Elizabeth Faulkner, an award-winning chef, cookbook
0:20
author. She's owned restaurants on both
0:22
coasts, San Francisco and New York.
0:24
You've seen her on Top Chef and Iron Chef.
0:26
She's on the James Beard Foundation Board of trustees and
0:30
also the current James Beard Foundation Awards committee
0:33
chair. We want to bring transparency on
0:35
the process and talk about everything from nomination,
0:39
selection and receiving the award.
0:41
I think this is a really important episode as there is a
0:43
lot of people that are not clear how the process works.
0:47
Full disclosure, I am also a member of the James Beard Awards
0:50
Committee, so as I'm asking some of these questions I already
0:53
know the answers to, but I'm asking them from a perspective
0:56
of the listener and the audience.
0:58
You may have questions. Without further ado, let's get
1:01
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Saga. Well, Don Elizabeth, good
1:51
morning. It's great to see you all.
1:53
Great to see you too. Great to see you all.
1:56
Right. So this is a special episode.
1:58
This is the first time I've done a Chef's PSA podcast on, you
2:02
know, virtually. But I think this is a really
2:04
important one, as I talked about a little bit in the
2:06
introduction, but I want to jump right into it.
2:09
So it is award season and I get a lot of questions.
2:13
And so for the audience that's listening, most of my audience
2:16
is really chefs and cooks. So I wanted to make it really
2:19
transparent and give them an opportunity to understand what
2:22
the process looks like. What is the James Spirit
2:25
Foundation? What are the James Spirit Awards
2:27
and who's James Spirit? Sure, I'll answer that.
2:31
So established in 1990, the James Spirit Awards are among
2:34
this nation's most prestigious honors recognizing leaders in
2:38
the culinary and food media industries as well as those in
2:41
the broader food system. We are celebrating the 35th
2:45
anniversary of the founding of the James Beard Awards in 2025,
2:51
which is very exciting. The awards consist of the
2:55
following recognition programs, the Media Awards, which include
2:58
book, broadcast media, journalism, restaurants and Chef
3:03
Achievement awards, including Lifetime Achievement,
3:06
Humanitarian of the Year, the newly launched Impact Awards.
3:10
The awards are named after James Beard, one of the most
3:14
celebrated culinary personalities of his era and
3:17
now. He was a prolific cookbook
3:20
author, a media personality, a culinary educator, and really a
3:25
pioneer for the appreciation of American cuisine.
3:29
The first awards were given in 1991.
3:33
Receiving a James Bute Award is a hallmark of excellence known
3:38
colloquially as the Oscars of the food world.
3:41
It really is seen as a marker of distinction and it is a career
3:45
aspiration for a lot of industry folks.
3:49
Many in the industry have won James Bute Awards early on in
3:52
their careers and have gone on to become hospital names,
3:55
culinary giants, pioneers and some have gone on to mentor
3:58
other chefs. I'll name a few, and there are
4:01
so many. All of these folks won the
4:04
Rising Star Chef of the Year, which is now known as Emerging
4:07
Chef. Michael Mina, Marcus Samuelsson,
4:10
Christina Tozi, Kwame Onwachi, Grant Akats, Tracy Dejardin,
4:16
Andrew Carmelini, to name a few. Can I just add too that I
4:22
started cooking in 1990, so and I started working in fine dining
4:27
in 1991. So it was already like something
4:30
that everybody was talking about.
4:32
And I had thought, I thought that had been going on forever.
4:35
I didn't. I'm like the same age as the
4:37
awards actually. So I mean the same age.
4:39
So I've been cooking. My cooking career is the same
4:40
age. I'm the same age.
4:45
And I also just want to add that when Tracy Desjardins won Rising
4:49
Star, it was called Rising Star Chef and which is now Emerging
4:53
Chef. I was working for her at Rubicon
4:56
and and it was and we were 28 years old.
4:59
So it was really a big deal. It was a huge deal.
5:02
Yeah, so, so much history with the award.
5:04
That's really incredible. So much.
5:08
How can someone be considered or a generic irritable?
5:11
OK, so the awards are actually open to all entrants.
5:16
You meet the qualifications of each program and we welcome
5:20
entries and entrance from culinary and food media in all
5:23
categories for the independent restaurant community across the
5:25
United States from dying from fine dining to more casual
5:29
dining gyms, which is I think one of the best things about the
5:32
Jinx Beard awards for the restaurant and Chef awards
5:36
specifically, anyone can submit a chef or restaurant for
5:40
consideration to the restaurant and Chef awards and there is no
5:43
entry fee and during the online open call for recommendations is
5:48
from October 1st through November 29th.
5:51
So coming up, send in some people, people.
5:55
You said something interesting. I just want to make sure that
5:57
people people hear it is that self nominations are allowed.
6:02
Absolutely. OK, so they then doesn't have to
6:05
come from some big PR firm or a local food writer.
6:09
Someone could nominate their restaurant.
6:13
Yeah, I mean, like, I think anybody can nominate themselves
6:16
or you can, you know, in your town or wherever you've been,
6:19
you can nominate people for restaurant and chef and media
6:24
awards. And yeah, it's just it's but
6:28
deadlines coming up. What are the basic eligibility
6:32
requirements for for nominees? The basic eligibility for
6:36
restaurants is candidates for those awards must be dining
6:40
establishments that serve food and are open to the public and
6:44
businesses must be reasonably accessible to the public and
6:47
open for business for a minimum of twice a month, which so you
6:51
know, you think about like pop ups and all of the different
6:53
kinds of way we do dining these days.
6:57
For the basic eligibility for individuals is candidates must
7:02
be actively making food or or beverage that is available to
7:05
the public. And all the details are at James
7:08
Beard Awards or sorry, at jamesbeard.org/awards.
7:13
Just one quick question on this because I have been asked this
7:15
before. So for someone that's a private
7:17
caterer that cooks in people's homes, this is not something
7:20
that they would be eligible for, correct?
7:23
Yeah, no, they wouldn't be. OK.
7:26
And then what are the what are the different awards categories
7:29
that are available that people could be nominated for?
7:32
So first of all, the tenancy rate awards consists of media
7:38
awards, which includes broadcast media and journalism and then
7:42
the restaurant and Chef awards. And then we have 3 achievement
7:45
awards, they are lifetime achievement, humanitarian of the
7:49
year and the impact awards which are a newly launched this year
7:53
or this cycle. The Restaurant and Chef awards
7:56
includes 26 categories that recognize restaurateurs,
8:01
restaurants, chefs, beverage professionals and others on both
8:05
a national and regional levels. So some examples include
8:09
outstanding chef, outstanding restaurants, outstanding pastry
8:13
chef, outstanding bar, the best new bar and regional best chefs.
8:18
We also have a committee chosen America's Classics awards of
8:24
which there are 6 chosen per year.
8:27
And these awards are the classics honor locally owned
8:31
restaurants that have timeless appeal their beloved regionally
8:34
for quality of food that reflects like the characters
8:38
characteristics of their communities.
8:41
How do they vary and what are the specific criteria for each
8:44
award? Well, they're each different,
8:48
but overall the voting body for the Restaurant and Chef Awards,
8:52
it's looking for those who demonstrate excellence in
8:55
culinary skills, hospitality and leadership qualities.
8:59
They vary by the criteria, vary by category, so some examples,
9:05
the length of time the business has been opened, the years of
9:08
experience that's required. For example, outstanding chef
9:12
requires chefs to be working 5 or more years, specific skills
9:17
and distinct areas of expertise. So pastry for outstanding pastry
9:20
chef, cocktail preparation for one of our new beverage
9:25
categories and then for the best new restaurant, best new bar,
9:32
they have recently opened over the last year and they have
9:35
already and have the potential to have significant impact in
9:40
the future. So each of our criteria for the
9:44
categories can be found on the website.
9:47
So I would recommend people look there.
9:49
Jamesbier.org back slash awards. And I know you touched on this a
9:54
little bit, but are there any recent changes or additions to
9:58
any of the categories? Yeah, actually it's very
10:01
exciting. We have the brand new impact
10:04
awards program and three new beverage focused categories.
10:08
So the Impact Awards, the impact Awards is born out of the the
10:16
foundation's impact and advocacy work, and that's building on the
10:21
prior leadership awards. And it's really about our
10:26
commitment to catalyzing meaningful change in the food
10:28
industry. And this program is part of the
10:34
Foundation's Achievement Awards, which honor change makers in
10:37
climate change, sustainability, equity, advocacy, and industry
10:41
culture and practices. So the honorees will be chosen
10:46
by the impact committee of the James Beard Board of Trustees
10:49
and then in beverage, which I'm very excited about having just
10:52
launched a new spirit business. Hold on.
10:57
There's a new cat. What's the spirit business?
10:58
Just she's out of curiosity. Well, separately, I just
11:03
launched a new brand with my partner called Tomorrow, Excuse
11:07
me, TMARO. And it means like Made today for
11:11
Tomorrow's World out of We Make spirit and Tomorrow out of
11:15
dates. And anyway, that's like a side
11:18
little advertisement. Back.
11:19
I said it wasn't. Yeah.
11:21
I didn't mean to digress. Back to you, sorry.
11:24
But I'm, I'm actually very excited about this new category
11:27
because as somebody who's I, you know, in 2005, I was nominated
11:32
for James Beard pastry chef, outstanding pastry chef.
11:36
And so having new category, you know, in the big culinary scene
11:41
is, is a big deal. And it, it's just three great
11:45
new awards. There's best new bar.
11:48
I'm a big fan of all the cocktail culture across America,
11:52
outstanding beverage, professional, professional and
11:54
beverage service and outstanding professional and cocktail
11:56
service. And the foundation is going to
11:59
continue to, to build this program over the next few years
12:02
and recognize excellence in this space.
12:05
And, and then there's some major changes to the media awards,
12:08
which include new categories under broadcast media awards.
12:13
So broadcast media, Hall of Fame award, travel visual media
12:18
competition, visual media done a lot of those lifestyle visual
12:23
media and a new category under Journalism awards, which is
12:28
narrative photography. Podcast Podcasters.
12:36
So how? How often does the Foundation
12:39
look at the the selection criteria and review it and
12:43
update it? So the awards committees,
12:47
subcommittees, and members of the Foundation review the
12:51
process annually after each cycle completes.
12:54
We wanna ensure that the programs continue to align with
12:58
our mission and values, of course, and we want to reflect
13:01
the needs and the landscape of the ever changing independent
13:04
restaurant industry and also food media.
13:07
So it's an annual, it's an annual exercise.
13:11
Have there been any recent changes in the criteria, such as
13:15
required tenure or emphasis on community impact?
13:19
So as of 2025, there are changes to time eligibility for some of
13:25
our restaurant and chef awards categories.
13:28
Certain time frames have been increased.
13:29
So these were previously reduced as of the 2022 cycle to help
13:34
address the impact of COVID-19 on the industry.
13:38
So I'll give you some examples. Outstanding chef eligible
13:42
candidates have to be kept been working as a chef for five or
13:45
more consecutive years. Outstanding hospitality in
13:49
operation for five or more years.
13:52
Outstanding pastry chef or Baker been working for five or more
13:58
years and restaurateur eligible candidates must have been in the
14:03
business for at least seven years.
14:07
So I'll talk a little bit about community, which really is
14:09
impact. The foundation, you know,
14:12
remains dedicated to leading chefs and the broader culinary
14:15
industry towards a new standard of excellence.
14:18
So our guiding principle, which some of your audience have
14:21
heard, is good food for good. It informs our vision of a
14:25
vibrant, equitable and sustainable independent
14:28
restaurant industry that stands as our cornerstone of American
14:33
food culture. It drives towards a better food
14:35
system. So our mission ladders up to our
14:38
allocation mission. Guiding principles for the
14:40
Restaurant and Chef Awards. Excellence in food, beverage and
14:44
hospitality is at the core and it's really the most important
14:47
for our awards. We require for this program and
14:51
all others an impact statement and this offers entrance and
14:55
those who are entering recommendations to give the
14:58
voting body a really a more holistic look at the candidates,
15:03
their work, what they're doing that aligns with the values and
15:06
mission of the awards and the foundation.
15:09
So for restaurant and chef in general, candidates are doing
15:13
something that contributes positively to their industry,
15:17
their community. It's another really, as I said
15:19
earlier, another way of talking about leading or leadership.
15:22
So I'll give you some examples. Leading by example, no pun
15:26
intended. Consistent and high culinary and
15:29
hospitality standards. Setting a positive example for
15:33
other professionals through your work.
15:37
Keeping your business open, especially during trying times.
15:40
Taking care of your employees. Introducing practices that
15:44
nurture your teams. Caring for your communities.
15:48
Respecting your communities. Making efforts as you can toward
15:52
equitable and sustainable industry practices, climate
15:56
mitigation practices, and other practices that really lead us
16:01
toward a culture really where all can thrive.
16:04
We really do believe it's important to celebrate all the
16:08
people, including your audience, who are leading American food
16:10
culture forward. It's a major part of recognizing
16:13
and demonstrating excellence. What does the journey look like
16:18
when you received nomination to winning and then can you outline
16:22
what are the key steps involved when when that happens?
16:25
Sure. So of course I'll focus on
16:27
restaurant and chef specifically.
16:30
So beginning in October as you as we talked about earlier, we
16:34
have an open call for recommendations put out.
16:37
So members of the public industry, subcommittee members
16:41
or judges all contribute to those recommendations.
16:45
The subcommittee reviews and then calls the list down and
16:48
produces a list of approximately 20 semi finalists in each
16:53
category. The exception is Best Meat
16:55
Restaurant. It's 30.
16:57
Once those semi finalists are announced, the judges and the
17:00
subcommittee members are then assigned to each semi final
17:04
within their respective region for tasting.
17:08
After they taste the votes and the score on various criteria,
17:12
which is determined by the subcommittee and the foundation,
17:15
and the five semi finalists, or 10 for best new with the highest
17:20
average score are announced in the spring as the nominees for
17:24
each of their categories. Once these nominees are
17:27
announced, the voting body conducts additional tasting.
17:31
They have discussions and then they vote again.
17:33
And after that the top scoring nominee per category is
17:38
announced as the winner. Everybody goes to Chicago and we
17:43
announce those winners on this year, June 16th, which is a
17:47
Monday at the beautiful Lyric Opera House in Chicago.
17:51
And that's followed by a walk of our Tates and celebration at
17:54
Vivian Station. So it's a wonderful opportunity
17:57
to come and be in community with your industry peers and your
18:00
friends. It's really very special
18:02
weekend. So how does the Foundation
18:05
ensure that there's diverse representation among the
18:09
nominees each year? Sure.
18:12
So our mission has long been to celebrate the array of people
18:17
behind American food culture who are examples of excellence and
18:21
leadership. The James Beard Awards are
18:23
unique. We are the OG in this space.
18:26
We are singularly American, and the American culinary world is
18:31
singularly diverse, and our aim is to reflect that.
18:36
Before 2020, when we launched our very deep audit of our
18:41
policies and procedures, the foundation, in tandem with
18:44
volunteer subcommittee members had already begun to make
18:47
changes in process, finally implement more representation,
18:51
more equity in the awards and the pandemic speed that process
18:55
up. So we took a comprehensive look
18:59
over 20/20 at 21 when didn't have any award ceremonies,
19:03
didn't give awards. We had a comprehensive look at
19:07
our policies and procedures, what we call the bones of the
19:10
awards. The objectives were working
19:13
towards removing systemic bias, increasing the diversity of the
19:18
voting body and showing a broader reach to communities far
19:22
and wide, increasing transparency in regards to how
19:25
the awards function. So you can find all the stuff on
19:28
our website now, more details and again, aligning our awards
19:33
with our mission and values. Very specifically.
19:37
You know, we've look, these awards are, as I said, we're the
19:39
Ogs, we're like they're almost 35 years old now and we've
19:43
undergone continuous process of evolving and learning.
19:46
We continue to do so. Our awards really represent
19:51
excellence and that's diversity in many ways.
19:54
A really interesting little side thing I'll say here is Ruth
19:58
Weisel covered the 1st 1991 Jane Feud Awards, which were held
20:02
here in New York. She wrote that the Beard Awards
20:06
center around the food revolution that is sweeping
20:09
America. That revolution continues and
20:12
the restaurant scene, American cuisine and how diners dine also
20:16
continue to evolve. And we're leading in that way by
20:19
keeping up and, you know, showcasing excellence in so many
20:23
ways. So what actions or circumstances
20:27
would lead to disqualification from being nominated for award
20:31
and then how do you manage that situation internally to uphold
20:35
the Foundation standards? Sure.
20:39
I know that this is a hot topic, so we'll talk about this in a
20:42
little bit of details first. The most important thing that is
20:46
it's really important to emphasize here is that the
20:48
awards are here to celebrate the industry first, foremost, first
20:53
and last, not to bring people down.
20:56
Disqualification is a rare exception.
21:00
The foundation and its awards programs has a code of ethics.
21:03
It applies to all entrants, semi finalists, nominees and winners
21:08
and the voting body. So it's part of the open call.
21:11
The Code of ethics is published within our online application on
21:15
award force so that applicants and those making recommendations
21:19
see it and prove through it, say after after a thorough review,
21:25
after maybe lists have been published, somebody is found to
21:27
have breached the code of ethics, they may be
21:30
disqualified. So some examples from the code
21:33
of ethics include inhumane, exploitative, or unlawful
21:38
workplace practices, discriminatory behavior like
21:42
harassment, violent or abusive behavior, egregious behavior.
21:47
Truly, the Ethics Committee, it only comes into play if an
21:52
allegation is made about somebody in the course of the
21:55
awards process. We do not independently seek up
21:59
problems or investigations. So allegations are reviewed by
22:06
the Ethics Committee. They are independent, they run
22:08
independently, they are the independent of staff, the
22:11
independent of the awards voting body, and they report directly
22:15
to the Board of Trustees Governance Committee.
22:18
They don't make any decisions only based on reports.
22:22
So that's something I really want to emphasize.
22:24
The review includes, any review includes gathering information
22:28
by our outside counsel, corroboration of information,
22:32
which includes interviews, public records, documents, and
22:36
the review is thorough. It's centered around
22:39
prioritizing fairness, thoroughness, and most
22:42
importantly, empathy in the process.
22:45
There's an understanding that everybody deserves a chance to
22:48
be heard. In cases where there is not
22:51
enough to go on or reports are unsubstantiated following the
22:55
review, the allegation is closed again.
22:57
Disqualifications are rare. If they do occur, we don't
23:01
publicly comment on it and we certainly don't announce it.
23:04
We really want to strike a balance.
23:06
I just want to stay in that fight, close this out.
23:08
We want to strike a balance and to ensure those we are awarding
23:12
embody our values and and not probably shaming anybody who's
23:18
potentially taken out for consideration.
23:20
So how do you ensure transparency and fairness in the
23:23
in the judging process? Well.
23:26
We really aim to be as transparent as possible.
23:29
And so as I mentioned in a different context in one of your
23:33
earlier questions, Andre, we have a lot of our information
23:38
now about the awards process all online on our website
23:42
againjamesbeer.org back slash awards.
23:45
So this includes everything related to the policies and
23:48
procedures, information that helps walk through potential
23:53
applicants with a submission process, eligibility documents
23:58
with criteria for each and every category, voting graphics, which
24:03
is easier to absorb for some people.
24:05
We even have videos that kind of walk people through the process
24:08
all on this page or linked to that, the landing page I just
24:13
mentioned. And the judges across all
24:16
programs are posted on our website after the winners are
24:20
announced in June. We don't though, it's part of
24:23
our policy to not share the specific programs or categories
24:27
that judges were assigned to. So in terms of fairness, we have
24:33
clear rule bits for each of our programs.
24:37
These are standardized processes that we put into action each
24:41
year to ensure they're fair and they don't fear away from what
24:46
has already been set up. So what whole measures are put
24:49
in place to prevent conflicts of interest among judges?
24:54
So for the James Beard Awards, all members of the voting body
24:59
that includes committee members and judges have to agree to our
25:02
code of conduct required to sign and disclose any potential
25:07
conflicts of interest as well as a non disclosure form.
25:12
Members receive detailed guidelines about judging.
25:15
As I just mentioned, it's standardized.
25:17
It's very specific to each program.
25:20
We also provide an annual training on diversity, equity
25:23
and inclusion, which has been designed specifically for the
25:26
James Beard Awards. So this is this next question I
25:30
think is fun, but it's also important, especially for my
25:33
audience, is what impact do the James Spirit Awards typically
25:37
have on the chef or restauranteur's career?
25:43
I'd like to answer that because it's true.
25:47
The James Spirit Awards actually changes lives.
25:49
I mean recognition at any stage of the of the awards, a process
25:55
leads to significant economic impact and visibility for
25:59
nominees. And this is very important for
26:02
an industry with such extreme type margins.
26:06
I have a stat here that 59% of the 2024 semi finalists had an
26:12
increase in covers following the announcement of this year, up
26:17
from 47% in 2023. Wow.
26:21
And almost all respondents notice noted that they received
26:24
press coverage from being just on the semi finalist list.
26:28
So some examples are in 2024 America's classic winner Benny
26:34
Lay stated that increased stated that it increased his business
26:40
by like 50% and a lot of those people have never had Vietnamese
26:44
food in the 2023 winner Yoli Tortilleria in Kansas City had a
26:51
700% increase in business for the wow for a couple days
26:55
following the win for outstanding bakery it 20.
26:59
You'll like this 2023 best chef Texas Benchelon painter of St.
27:05
to kitchen had an had to expand to a bigger location with triple
27:09
the capacity because of increased demand.
27:12
And Rob Ruba outstanding chef from 2023, noted that the awards
27:18
led to doors opening and new relationships.
27:20
And that's true true. I met Rob in DC when we were
27:25
talking to a lot of legislators earlier this summer and
27:29
everybody, every single politician that we talked to was
27:32
like, how do I as soon as they met Rob, they were like, how do
27:34
we get a reservation at? I mean, it's it's literally
27:39
changing people's lives. 100%. So how?
27:44
How's the foundation view its role in shaping culinary trends
27:49
and elevating industry standards?
27:54
You know, as some of the nation's most prestigious honors
27:57
in the culinary and food media industries, the awards are
28:00
powerful bellwether of what's going on in the United States
28:03
dining scene more broadly. And I, I talk about this a lot
28:08
with my, you know, chefs of my generation, but the shift in
28:12
recent years to spotlight some of the smaller cities reflects
28:15
the growth of the culinary centers outside of the main, you
28:19
know, metropolises a James Beard work and help put a city on the
28:24
map as a food destination. And I know that from, I mean,
28:27
I've travelled around this country and I just like I'll be
28:31
in some tiny little town and I can't believe like how much
28:34
talent is all over this, this amazing country.
28:40
But not only this, we're continually evolving the awards
28:43
to push for a better standard. And the awards center everything
28:48
in excellence and talent first. But we are redefining what
28:50
excellence means. And excellence means both on and
28:54
off the plate. An outstanding restaurant should
28:57
make exceptional Food First and foremost and show distinction in
29:01
skill and craft, consistently deliver high quality food no
29:05
matter what the setting is. So if it's fine dining or a more
29:07
casual establishment, so much more of what you see on the
29:12
plate goes into that plate of food, from the farms to the
29:16
ingredients you choose, the way you support your staff, and all
29:21
of those things. So excellence can also mean
29:24
demonstrating leadership and contribution to the wider
29:28
community. Ultimately, we're harnessing the
29:31
power of the awards to drive positive change by celebrating
29:33
those who embody these values in a standard of excellence.
29:38
What what future changes or initiatives is the foundation
29:41
considering as things evolve, the culinary landscapes evolved
29:45
to remain relevant? I'll take this one.
29:49
Our goal remains to keep supporting the independent
29:52
restaurant industry as a whole while celebrating its
29:56
outstanding talents. In terms of the awards, you
29:59
know, we stay relevant. We want to remain relevant.
30:04
We are relevant. We want to keep having a
30:06
positive impact on people's businesses, on their lives.
30:11
We're dedicated to ensuring that we involve with the evolve,
30:15
excuse me, with the industry changes in the landscape as
30:19
we've been talking about and of course, taking into
30:21
consideration the ongoing challenges and opportunities to
30:27
address those within the indicator restaurant industry.
30:30
We will continue we, it's an awards program, right?
30:34
It's a process, we continue to iterate on the process, continue
30:38
to try to make improvements and to capture what's coming.
30:44
And that I think that that's key beyond the awards, you know, we
30:50
want to make sure that we are continuing to be to be behind
30:57
change makers, to be behind the the industry, innovative people,
31:02
creative people, resilience without a doubt.
31:06
And also always facing an economic model that's really,
31:10
really tough. We and our food systems, as you
31:15
know is facing huge challenges kind of change, rising cost,
31:19
labor issues, so much more. We're leading on these emerging
31:23
issues. Our impact programs reflect our
31:26
commitment to support and champion a more equitable and
31:31
sustainable industry. So I'll just name a couple of
31:34
programs that are important. Chefs Boot Camp, a policy of
31:38
change, our legacy network, which is a mentoring program,
31:43
women's leadership programs. We have a new initiative, our
31:47
Climate Solutions for Restaurant Survival campaign, which we
31:50
launched this year. We had over 800 chefs lending
31:55
their voice to call, call for federal action to combat the
31:59
impact of climate change. These are all of the things that
32:01
we are doing. It will continue to do to stay
32:05
side by side and in partnership with the independent restaurant
32:08
industry. So why are the James Beard
32:13
Awards important? What makes them so important
32:16
right now for our culinary industry?
32:21
I mean, I think the awards really matter because they
32:23
really, you know, they, it's very positive way to just, you
32:30
know, set up a standard of excellence and, and, and show
32:36
the talent that's just really all over the country.
32:39
And because timing is important, when does the open call period
32:44
close for the 2025 James Beard Awards?
32:49
November 29th in a couple of weeks.
32:55
Oh, I wanted, I wanted to make a couple of more comments, if
32:58
that's OK with you guys on the impact of the awards.
33:03
I did want to add to what Elizabeth was saying.
33:05
You know, those who are honored become industry role models.
33:09
We, I mean, there are named chefs who continue to be role
33:13
models. They meaning like they've been
33:15
in the industry for a really, really long time.
33:18
You know, we have also those who are newer, like Paul Smith, who
33:25
won in West Virginia. I think it was the first time
33:27
somebody from West Virginia won and just that's I'm just going
33:31
to give that just one example as, as folks who can be seen as
33:38
potential role models too in the future.
33:41
We know that these awards change lives.
33:44
Any recognition at any stage of somebody's career is important.
33:49
It helps to lead to increase visibility and as we already
33:53
mentioned, you know, impact on their on their business is what
33:57
I already mentioned having impacts on cities and towns.
34:03
Yeah, I mean, that's a big thing and it really shapes how diners
34:07
eat. You know, our lists are used as
34:10
a trusted guide looking for those looking for exceptional
34:13
and meaningful culinary experiences.
34:17
And as consumers increasingly value dining experiences that
34:21
reflect that reflect our full, the fullness of American
34:25
culinary landscape, sustainability, purpose driven
34:29
dining, our lists really stand as the lists to follow.
34:37
Yeah, I, I can't agree with that more.
34:40
I mean, I think you hit the nail on the head.
34:44
But as we wrap up, what are the key aids that chefs need to know
34:47
for the 2025 James Beard Awards? Sure.
34:51
So I'll run through those. So semi finalist announcement
34:53
will occur in January, the nominees announcement will occur
34:58
in April. And as I mentioned earlier
35:01
today, our award ceremonies will take place in June.
35:06
Restaurant and Chef specifically will take place on Monday, June
35:09
16th in Chicago. All of our.
35:12
Ceremonies are held in. Chicago.
35:14
John, Elizabeth, thank you so much.
35:16
I think this was a really important conversation, and I'm
35:18
glad we were able to do it just in time to get people nominated
35:23
and make sure that they're paying attention to the upcoming
35:25
date. So thank you so much and we'll
35:28
have to do this again. Absolutely.
35:30
Thank you so much for having us, Andre.
35:32
This is fun. You're welcome.
35:34
So great. And everybody get your
35:35
nominations in by November 20th. Well, I hope you enjoyed the
35:38
show, and I hope that brought a lot of clarity and transparency
35:42
to the process surrounding the James Beard Foundation.
35:44
Time's running now, so act quickly.
35:47
If you want to support the show, go to chefspsa.com.
35:50
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36:01
We'll see you next week.