The James Beard Foundation has announced a partnership with VISIT PHILADELPHIA®, the region’s official tourism marketing agency, to present the 2019 James Beard Media Awards, with support from William Grant & Sons. The exclusive event honors the nation’s top food authors, broadcast producers and hosts, and journalists, and will take place at Pier Sixty at Chelsea Piers in New York City on Friday, April 26, 2019. The Media Awards will be hosted by supermodel turned businesswoman and Emmy Award-winning television host, Tyra Banks.
Banks is one of the most recognizable supermodels and personalities in the world. A true mogul and media maven, she created and executive produced America’s Next Top Model, the first and longest-running competition-based reality television series, for 24 cycles. As an original Victoria’s Secret Angel, Banks was the first female model to grace the cover of GQ and the first African-American model to be featured on the cover of the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue. She was named one of The Hollywood Reporter’s 100 Most Powerful Women in Entertainment and has been honored as one of Glamour magazine’s coveted Women of the Year. Banks is CEO of the Tyra Banks Company — a place where beauty meets entertainment. In 2012, Banks graduated from the Owner/President Management program at Harvard Business School, and she recently developed Fierce Capital, the investment arm of the Tyra Banks Company, which invests in early-stage companies, including firms that are female-led or female-focused.
For the 2019 Media Awards, VISIT PHILADELPHIA® has tapped some of its city’s top James Beard Foundation–affiliated culinary talent to prepare the multi-course dinner, which occurs during the awards ceremony: Ange Branca of Saté Kampar, Diana Widjojo and Maylia Widjojo of Hardena, and Andrew Farley of High Street on Market and High Street on Hudson, owned by 2019 Outstanding Restaurateur nominee Ellen Yin. Following the dinner and awards ceremony, guests will be treated to a dessert reception with noted Philadelphia pastry chefs, including 2019 Outstanding Baker nominee of Essen, Tova du Plessis, Kate Jacoby of Vedge, and Robert Toland of Terrain.
“VISIT PHILADELPHIA is a proud partner of the James Beard Media Awards,” said Jeff Guaracino, president and CEO, VISIT PHILADELPHIA. “The James Beard Foundation does so much to elevate the food scene, including the great restaurants, chefs and authors here in Philadelphia, and we’re proud to help them further their mission.”
About the 2019 James Beard Awards
The 2019 James Beard Awards celebrations begin in New York City on Friday, April 26, 2019, with the James Beard Media Awards. Presented in association with VISIT PHILADELPHIA® with support from William Grant & Sons, the exclusive event honors the nation’s top cookbook authors, culinary broadcast producers and hosts, and food journalists and will take place at Pier Sixty at Chelsea Piers.
The events then move to Chicago, beginning with the Leadership Awards dinner on Sunday, May 5, 2019. The dinner, presented in association with Deloitte and hosted by Gail Simmons, will recognize honorees for their work in creating a more healthful, sustainable, and just food world. The James Beard Awards Gala will take place on Monday, May 6, 2019, at the Lyric Opera of Chicago, hosted by Jesse Tyler Ferguson. During the event, which is open to the public, awards for the Restaurant and Chef and Restaurant Design categories will be handed out, along with special achievement awards Humanitarian of the Year, Lifetime Achievement, Design Icon, and America’s Classics. A gala reception will immediately follow, featuring chefs and beverage professionals from across the country, including past James Beard Award winners and many who are involved in the Foundation’s Impact Programs, from Smart Catch Seafood to Women’s Leadership programs and the James Beard Chefs Bootcamp for Policy and Change. The VIP Dinner chefs, who will prepare a multi-course dinner in the mezzanine boxes during the Awards show, will be chefs from the esteemed Union Square Hospitality Group.
This year’s theme, “Good Food For GoodTM” is synonymous with the James Beard Foundation’s mission. It is the simple summation of what the organization stands for, from unique and delicious dining experiences at the James Beard House and around the country, to scholarships, mentorships, and a variety of industry programs that educate and empower leaders in the food community. The Foundation has built a platform for chefs and asserted the power of gastronomy to drive behavior, culture, and policy change around food. With this theme, the annual Awards aim to bring attention not only to its deserving winners but to the Foundation’s overall mission as well.
Tickets to the May 6 Awards Gala and April 26 Media Awards dinner are on sale now atjamesbeard.org/awards/tickets. General public tickets are $500; James Beard Foundation member tickets are $425; VIP dinner options available upon request to the box office at (914) 231-6180 or [email protected]. Individual tickets for the Media Awards are $350; table for 10, $3,500. Both ceremonies will be broadcast live via the James Beard Foundation’s Twitter (@beardfoundation) and at jamesbeard.org/awards.
The 2019 James Beard Awards are proudly hosted by Choose Chicago and the Illinois Restaurant Association and presented in association with Chicago O’Hare and Midway International Airports and Magellan Corporation as well as the following partners: Premier Sponsors: All-Clad Metalcrafters, American Airlines, HMSHost, Lavazza, S.Pellegrino® Sparkling Natural Mineral Water ; Supporting Sponsors: Hyatt, National Restaurant Association™, Robert Mondavi Winery, Skuna Bay Salmon, TABASCO® Sauce, Valrhona, White Claw® Hard Seltzer, Windstar Cruises; Gala Reception Sponsors: Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, Ecolab, Front of the House®, Kendall College, with additional support from Chefwear, Loacker and VerTerra Dinnerware. Intersport is the Official Broadcast Partner of the 2019 James Beard Awards.
Established in 1990, the James Beard Awards recognize culinary professionals for excellence and achievement in their fields and further the Foundation’s mission to celebrate, nurture, and honor chefs and other leaders making America’s food culture more delicious, diverse, and sustainable for everyone. Each award category has an individual committee made up of industry professionals who volunteer their time to oversee the policies, procedures, and selection of judges for their respective Awards programs. All James Beard Award winners receive a certificate and a medallion engraved with the James Beard Foundation Awards insignia.
About the James Beard Foundation
The James Beard Foundation’s mission is to promote good food for good™. For more than 30 years, the James Beard Foundation has highlighted the centrality of food culture in our daily lives. Through the James Beard Awards, unique dining experiences at the James Beard House and around the country, scholarships, hands-on learning, and a variety of industry programs that educate and empower leaders in our community, the Foundation has built a platform for chefs and asserted the power of gastronomy to drive behavior, culture, and policy change around food. To that end, the Foundation has also created signature impact-oriented initiatives that include our Women’s Leadership Programs, aimed at addressing the gender imbalance in the culinary industry; advocacy training through our Chefs Boot Camp for Policy and Change; and the James Beard Foundation Leadership Awards, which shine a spotlight on successful change makers. The organization is committed to giving chefs and their colleagues a voice and the tools they need to make the world more sustainable, equitable, and delicious for everyone. For more information, please visit jamesbeard.org and follow @beardfoundation on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.
About VISIT PHILADELPHIA®
VISIT PHILADELPHIA® is our name and our mission. As the region’s official tourism marketing agency, we build Greater Philadelphia’s image, drive visitation and boost the economy.
On Greater Philadelphia’s official visitor website and blog, visitphilly.com and uwishunu.com, visitors can explore things to do, upcoming events, themed itineraries and hotel packages. Compelling photography and videos, interactive maps and detailed visitor information make the sites effective trip-planning tools. Along with Visit Philly social media channels, the online platforms communicate directly with consumers. Travelers can also call and stop into the Independence Visitor Center for additional information and tickets.
