The Culinary Oscars

Just as Hollywood gathers to see who is going to be applauded by their peers in the film industry, so does the culinary world have its own version to recognize the best in the business.

Every year, The James Beard Foundation ihosts a fortnight of activities that celebrate fine cuisine and Beard's birthday. 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 America's very best chefs.

It is fitting that the foundation hosts this event as James Beard is acknowledged as being the father of American gastronomy.

James Andrew Beard was born on May 5, 1903 in Portland, Oregon to Elizabeth and John Beard. His mother was an independent English woman passionate about food and his father worked at Portland's Customs House. Summers were spent at the beach at Gearhart, Oregon, fishing, gathering shellfish and wild berries, and cooking meals with whatever was caught.

In 1923 Beard went on the road with a theatrical troupe. He lived abroad for several years studying voice and theater, but returned to the States for good in 1927. He began a catering business which revolutionized what then passed for cocktail food by offering more substantive fare. With the opening of a small food shop called Hors d'Oeuvre, Inc., in 1937, he finally realized that his future lay in the world of food and cooking.

The publication of the first major cookbook devoted exclusively to cocktail food, Hors d'Oeuvres & Canapés, in 1940, was followed by Cooking it Outdoors, in 1942, the first serious work on outdoor cooking.

He became totally immersed in the culinary community. Between 1945 and 1955 he published several cookbooks. He appeared in his own segment on television's first cooking show on NBC in 1946, followed by many other spots on television and radio. He contributed articles and columns to various publications, served as a consultant to many restaurateurs and food producers, and ran his own restaurant on Nantucket. He became the focal point of the entire American food world.

In 1955 he established The James Beard Cooking School. He continued to teach cooking for the next 30 years, both at his own schools and around the country. He was a tireless traveler, bringing his message of good food, honestly prepared with fresh, wholesome, American ingredients, to a country just becoming aware of its own culinary heritage.

He also continued to write cookbooks, most of which became classics and many of which are still in print.

When James Beard died at 82 on January 21, 1985, he left a legacy of culinary excellence and integrity to generations of home cooks and professional chefs.