Foodie Mecca
August 17th, 2006 by Jasmine
I started learning the intricacies of the food industry about a year ago through friends in the industry. It was the first time I heard anyone referred to as a “foodie” and I thought it was slightly amusing that there was an entire industry around food and that it could be just as prestigious as the fashion industry, if not more. I decided I wanted to learn more and began to immerse myself in this new world by reading the different food reviews in magazines, attending dinners with chefs to get their opinions on other chefs’ meals, watching Kelly Choi speak with Chefs on her show Eat Out New York, and reading the different foodie blogs. Eventually I felt like I had achieved a certain level of confidence in my palate, which led me to jump at the chance to attend a dinner at the mecca of all foodies: The James Beard House.
The James Beard House is a four story house on 12th Street between 6th and 7th Avenues. Beard, the namesake behind the house, is credited not only with creating the food industry in America but for turning it into an art form, which is why receiving a James Beard Award as a chef is extremely prestigious, like winning an Oscar as an actor.
The James Beard House hosts chefs by invitation only. Most of the people in attendance belong to the James Beard Foundation. Those who are not members of the foundation can eat there for around $120 per person. Luckily I was invited by my foodie friend Gwen who got me a discount.
Gwen had attended dinner at the house many times and knew several of the people who were there. Upon arrivel she directed us through the kitchen with a quick hello to the chefs of the evening, and out to the back veranda where everyone was sipping champagne and tasting the passed hors d’oeuvres and canapés. The veranda was beautiful on this warm summer evening, and before I knew it, we were called into the house for dinner.
When I arrived at our assigned table, I was surprised to see the group formation - we would be sitting with 8 other people at a large round table, which was set impeccably with about a zillion plates, wine glasses, knives, forks, and spoons for the six course dinner. The group setting ended up being extremely fun - we were seated with several people from the French Culinary Institute, from the magazine Food Arts, as well as the sister of one of the sous-chefs. I was pleased to see that some other people at the table were as confused as I was about which utensils to use with what! I know the general rule - start on the outside and work your way in, but what happens when there are utensils you’ve never seen before?? I eventually figured it out - after watching the choices other people made.
Each course looked fantastic - the presentation was amazing, but the chefs seemed to try to be too enthusiastic about doing something different. I especially loved the Coconut Tapioca Soup with Curried Gulf Shrimp paired with a Gewurztraminer, but the Dolce de Leche Panacotta with Espresso Gelee for dessert didn’t hit the spot, and there was one serving that was so forgettable that at the end we were trying to remember if we had even received it (only to be assured by other members of the table that we had)!
After the meal, the chefs came upstairs where they were met with applause, then given a moment to discuss their dishes and the inspiration behind them. They also mentioned that they were opening a new restaurant soon and that they hoped we would come visit (yes please!). Overall, it was a fabulous night of fantastic food, wine, and good people.
Image taken from Vergant.com.