The James Beard Foundation (JBF) is pleased to announce the third consecutive year of the Taste America: “Local Flavor from Coast To Coast” national epicurean tour, which will visit ten American cities this fall. Spanning six weekends between September 18 and November 7, 2015, the program will stop in Boston, Charleston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis, New Orleans, Phoenix, San Francisco, and Seattle. Each city will enjoy a special evening that starts off with a walk-around tasting reception from a lineup of celebrated local chefs, followed by a one-of-a-kind, four-course dinner crafted in collaboration with a Taste America All-Star and a Local Star chef.
Los Angeles’s weekend-long Taste America itinerary will kick off on Friday, November 6, 2015, at The Ebell of Los Angeles with A Night of Culinary Stars, an exclusive dining event benefiting the James Beard Foundation. The evening will begin with a reception filled with cocktails and hors d’oeuvres from local chefs and restaurateurs, including Ray Garcia (B.S. Taqueria), Michael Hung (Faith & Flower) Jessica Koslow (Sqirl), Zach Pollack (Alimento), and host chef Louis Pechan (The Ebell of Los Angeles). Afterwards, guests will be seated for an extraordinary dinner prepared by James Beard Award-winning chef and Taste America All-Star Hugh Acheson (Empire State South; Atlanta, Georgia), in collaboration with James Beard Award nominees and Local Star chefs, Vinny Dotolo and Jon Shook (Jon & Vinny’s, Animal and Son of a Gun; Los Angeles, California) who will come together to create a unique, one-night-only menu.
On Saturday, November 7, free in-store consumer events will take place at Sur La Table. Activities of the day will include a cooking demo by All-Star Hugh Acheson, book signings, tastings from local producers and artisans, as well as product demos and tastings from our national sponsors. Reservations for the free cooking demos will begin two weeks prior to each event.
“This is an electrifying time in the food world, made evident by the remarkably innovative dishes chefs are creating in their respective cities, large and small, across America,” says Susan Ungaro, president of the James Beard Foundation. “Now in its third year, our Taste America program both celebrates and educates Americans about our country’s diverse culinary landscape, and the talented toques who are cultivating it. We are thrilled to bring Taste America to these ten dynamic cities this year, and unite some of the top talent in the industry for a truly unique dining experience.”
The James Beard Foundation is proud to donate a portion of the evening’s proceeds to the Taste America Scholarship Fund. Candidates will be reviewed by the JBF Scholarship Selection Committee, chaired by Ungaro.
