Once you've been invited to cook at the Beard House and you have agreed on a date for your event, you will receive an information packet in the mail that contains everything you need to know about what is expected of you and how the logistics of the event will unfold—the same information is available on this website. We are very much aware of the time and expense involved in coming to cook at the Beard House, and so we try to make everyone’s Beard House experience be as smooth and successful as possible. We are grateful for your support.

Types of Beard House Events

Dinners
A typical dinner consists of three to five passed hors d’oeuvre (with a minimum of two pieces each per guest), five courses including dessert, and matching wines for each course. Because of space limitation and varying table sizes, all food is usually plated in the kitchen. As with all Beard House events, guests enter through Mr. Beard’s kitchen and they will definitely want to meet YOU. Dinners start with a reception at 7:00 P.M., during which time aperitifs and hors d’oeuvre are served in the greenhouse or in the garden (weather permitting). Guests are seated at 7:45 P.M., and dinner service begins at 8:00 P.M.

Guest capacity for all events is 74. This will insure the best experience for both visiting chefs and our diners.

Depending on guest needs and the number of reservations for an event, we can seat guests on the 2nd floor—the main dining area—which has a capacity of 55, the greenhouse gallery on the 1st floor, which has a 12-seat round, and possibly the front reception room, if needed. The private Peter Kump Dining Room on the 4th floor accommodates up to 12 guests for special occasions, while staying within the 74-guest maximum capacity.

Lunches and Brunches
A typical lunch consists of three to five hors d’oeuvre (with a minimum of two pieces each per guest) and four courses, including dessert. Because of space limitation and varying table sizes, all food is usually plated in the kitchen. As with all Beard House events, guests enter through Mr. Beard’s kitchen. Lunches start at 12:00 noon with a 30-minute reception, during which time aperitifs and hors d’oeuvre are served in the greenhouse and/or garden (weather permitting). Guests are seated at 12:30 P.M., and lunch service begins shortly thereafter.

Workshops/Lectures/Demonstrations/Tastings
These events vary greatly in form and content, so they need to be discussed with the program office on an individual basis.

Kitchen Details and Virtual Tours

View the Beard House kitchen floorplan.

Take a virtual tour of the James Beard House kitchen. 

Take a virtual tour of the James Beard House dining room and dining room library.

Take a virtual tour of the James Beard House board room.  


Food Preparation
The house kitchen is available to you early in the morning on the day of your event. If another event is not scheduled, it is sometimes possible to use the kitchen a day before your event. Please call us to discuss these arrangements. Local chefs generally prepare most of the menu in their own kitchens and transport food to the Beard House. Out-of-town chefs are advised to locate a host kitchen in New York where they can prep ahead of time. We will try to help you by providing a list of spaces and telephone numbers, if necessary.

Kitchen Equipment
We are proud to announce the recent renovation of the James Beard Kitchen, sponsored by Viking Range Corporation. We are confident that first-time chefs will have a wonderful experience and returning chefs will be pleasantly surprised.

View a full list of our kitchen equipment.

Kitchen Staff & Volunteers
Usually four to six kitchen staff members are needed at the time of service. It is optimal to have as many of your staff with you as possible, but we realize that this is not always feasible. In the Foundation’s spirit of education, we work closely with local culinary schools to provide chefs with both student and graduated volunteers. We also have a roster of dedicated food enthusiasts who possess varying degrees of training and experience. We can request up to three volunteers for the day of your event to augment your staff. We will do our best to confirm your volunteer request the week prior to your event. Please advise us of your needs as early as possible.

The local cooking schools include the French Culinary Institute, the Natural Gourmet Cookery School, ICE-Institute of Culinary Education (formerly Peter Kump Cooking School), and AINY-Art Institute of New York (formerly New York Restaurant School) among others.

Food Allowance, Donations, and Suppliers

Food Allowance and Reimbursement
When your event is booked, you will be advised of the per-person food allowance reimbursement. Following the event, your event manager will contact you to finalize any remaining details and to provide you with instructions for submitting the food allowance reimbursement invoice. The reimbursement will be determined by multiplying the final number of guests at the event (minus the complimentary seats used) by the allotted food allowance per person. Any food purchased by the Beard House on your behalf, including bread, will also be deducted from the reimbursement. You will be reimbursed 8–10 weeks following the receipt of your invoice.

Food and Wine Donations
Although the main purpose of your dinner at the James Beard Foundation is to showcase your talents, it also helps our mission of celebrating, preserving, and nurturing America's culinary heritage. Events such as yours are an important source of revenue for the Foundation. You are responsible for procuring the food and wine for your event. We encourage you to seek products at a discount or donations from your own purveyor. We have also listed our House Purveyors and House Suppliers for your convenience (see below). We also encourage you to seek donations from wine and spirit companies, as this is a wonderful promotional opportunity for them. We have found that restaurant suppliers are often willing to contribute food and wine products for an event in exchange for credit on the menu and in our newsletter. We hope that you will explore this possibility with your suppliers. To include donation credits in our newsletter, please keep our publications deadlines in mind.

If you do not have wine donations, please contact Kris Moon or Claudia Karach at 212.675.4984 (x246 and x245, respectively) as soon as possible.

House Purveyors and Suppliers
The following House Purveyors and House Suppliers have agreed to donate product to chefs upon request or have set a dollar limit on the amount of the donation. Please contact them directly for more information and place your order well in advance.

House Purveyors

Green & Black's^® Organic Chocolate
389 Interpace Pkwy
Parsippany, NJ 07054
www.greenandblacks.com
Contact: Robert Grgurev
Tel: 973.909.3911

A pioneer of organic chocolate since 1991, Green & Black's^® was founded on the belief that, from bean to bar, every step in making this artisan-style chocolate is equally important. Green & Black's^® Organic Chocolate is available in an extensive range of flavors; however the following are most appropriate for cooking and baking:

Dark 85%: 85% cocoa content, 3.5 oz bar
Dark 70%: 70% cocoa content, 3.5 oz bar
Maya Gold: 55% cocoa content, infused with spices and a twist of orange, 3.5 oz bar
Milk: 34% cocoa content, 3.5 oz bar
White: 30% cocoa content, 3.5 oz bar
Espresso: 67% cocoa content infused with Arabica coffee, 3.5 oz bar
Ginger: 60% cocoa content, with crystallized ginger, 3.5 oz bar
Baking Bar: 72% cocoa content, lightly sweetened and with extra cocoa butter for easier melting, 5.3 oz bar
Cocoa Powder, alkalized, 4.4 oz can

Please call or email for product availability.

Hudson Valley Foie Gras
80 Brooks Road
Ferndale, NY 12734
www.hudsonvalleyfoiegras.com
Contact: Michael Ginor, President
Tel: 516.773.4400
Fax: 516.773.4434

America ’s largest producer of exquisite foie gras and duck products. Visit their website for product line and information. Hudson Valley Foie Gras will arrange for special pricing of moullard duck products and foie gras.

illy Espresso of the Americas, Inc.
15455 Greenway-Hayden Loop, #7
Scottsdale, AZ 85260
www.illy.com
Contact: Elizabeth Friedman, Northeast Division Manager
Tel: 800.872.4559x570
Fax: 212.818.1806

Illy coffee and espresso is available daily at the James Beard House.

Melissa’s Produce and Specialty Foods
5325 S. Soto Street
Vernon, CA 90058
www.melissas.com
Contact: Nancy Eisman
Monday through Friday, 8am to 6pm
Tel: 310.641.0041
Fax: 310.641.0050
Or Robert Schueller 800.588.1281

Melissa’s is the leading importer and distributor of fresh exotic and organic produce and dried specialty items in the United States. Products include everything from ancho chiles and Asian pears to zebra tomatoes and baby zucchini. Please call to inquire about availability and special pricing on hundreds of the world’s highest-quality ingredients. Minimum 72-hour notice required for inventoried items and fruit that does not require ripening.

House Suppliers

Anson Mills
2013 Greene Street
Columbia, SC 29205
www.ansonmills.com
Contact: Glenn Roberts
Tel: 843.709.7399
Fax: 803.256.2463

Anson Mills produces certified organic fresh cold stone-milled artisan grain products. Anson Mills will donate up to a total of five pounds of product free of charge per event and will arrange a significant discount for products over five pounds. Anson Mills would appreciate event menu listing.

California Avocado Commission
1251 E. Dyer Road, Suite 210
Santa Ana, California 92705
Contact: Michelle Spelman
Tel: 714.558.6761
Fax: 714.641.7024

California avocados are available year-round in many varieties (primarily Hass), sizes (36-84) and degrees of ripeness (firm, breakers, and ripe). The Commission needs two weeks notice, as California avocados will be sent overnight to the James Beard Foundation for the event. Please contact Michelle Spelman to discuss your menu needs. Product will be donated in exchange for listing “ California Avocados” on the event menu.

The Perfect Purée of Napa Valley
2700 Napa Valley Corporate Drive, Suite L
Napa, California 94558
www.perfectpuree.com
Contact and Ordering: Anita Dadson
Tel: 707.261.5100x10

The Perfect Purée of Napa Valley offers an assortment of high quality berry and fruit purées that are perfect for bar drink, pastry, and savory applications. Made from field-ripened produce, the company’s purées offer the fresh fruit taste you’ve been looking for. The Perfect Purée is available in 30 purée flavors and all come packed frozen in a 30-ounce wide-mouth pour n' store jar—perfect for the bar! Visit their website for over 300 bar drink, dessert, and savory recipes. Or give them a call at 800.556.3707. They offer special pricing and shipping instructions to all James Beard Chefs.

Triar Seafood Company
2046 McKinley Street, Bay 7
Hollywood, Florida 33020
www.triarseafood.com
Contact: Peter Jarvis, Head Fishmonger
Tel: 800.741.3474
Fax: 954.921.2388

Triar Seafood is a 25-year-old, Florida-based company that has serviced and supported chefs at the Beard House for eight years. Triar Seafood has nearly 100 hand-selected species to choose from, and the company guarantees 4–6 days shelf life once the product arrives in your kitchen. Triar was selected as the exclusive seafood supplier for the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake, where the company worked closely with culinary director Christopher Young and many acclaimed chefs.

Please contact Peter Jarvis, the head fishmonger, with your product requests and he will arrange special pricing/donations with you directly. It is requested that the chefs indicate the Triar Seafood product on the menus for both the newsletter menu and the souvenir menu for the event. Please forward a copy of the menu to Triar for their growing James Beard Foundation collection.

Vanns Spices Ltd.
6105 Oakleaf Avenue
Baltimore, MD 21215
www.vannsspices.com
Contact: Courtney Nathan, Marketing Director
Tel: 800.583.1693x107
Fax: 410.358.1780

When arriving at the Beard House, you'll find the famous cherrywood spice cabinet in the kitchen full of Vanns Spices, which many chefs refer to as the best spices, dried herbs, and essences in the world. The cupboard contains Vanns special finishing salts, an array of fragrant peppercorns, fennel pollen, piment d'espelette, and much more. Besides providing the essential last-minute seasonings you need to get your final flavors perfectly balanced, Vanns will provide you with all the dried herbs and spices you need for pre-preps. Expect a direct call from the Vanns team well in advance of your Beard House appearance to explore your specific needs. Or call Courtney Nathan, Marketing Director, at any time.

Dining Room Details

Service Staff
Our professional service staff includes a maitre d’hotel, waiters (usually one per ten guests), and dishwashers. We provide their services for each event at no cost to the chef. Should you wish to provide a family meal, the scheduled time is around 5:30 P.M.

Setting and Ambiance
The James Beard Foundation provides the complete restaurant setting: chairs, tables, white linen rentals, and flower arrangements for the periphery of the room. We also have gorgeous new Vera Wang by Wedgwood frosted glass votive cubes which really provide a warm ambient glow to the tabletops.

The Foundation does not provide floral or decorate centerpieces. We encourage chefs to decorate the dining areas in any way that will enhance the ambience of the event such as with linens, centerpieces, additional flowers, music, etc. Our house florist John Yarce can be contacted to arrange for flowers or centerpieces.  He can be reached at 212-691-5412 or www.organicany.com. We have a sound system for playing CDs and ipods if music is desired during the reception hour. The floor plan and seating chart are available upon request.

Complimentary Seats/Additional Seats
For every event at the Beard House, JBF will set aside a total of 4 complimentary seats for your event, which can be used as you wish. If you need additional seats for your event (for family, media, management, sponsors, and anyone else who would like to come) they can be purchased at the discounted member’s rate. Please inform either Claudia (x245) or Kris (x246) of the names of the guests for the 4 complimentary seats and if you wish to purchase additional seats.

We encourage chefs to invite members of the media. Chefs are responsible for providing seats to the press as well as their other guests.

We encourage chefs to invite their supporters and loyal customers. As a courtesy, we will extend the discounted member’s rate to anyone who is referred by the restaurant. Guests need to call our reservations department directly, at 212.627.2308, identify themselves as “friends of the restaurant,” and ask for the member’s rate.

Menus
You are encouraged to print souvenir menus with wines and/or beverages for your event on your restaurant’s letterhead. Since guests often take the menu as a souvenir for the evening, it is an excellent opportunity to showcase your restaurant. Be as creative as you please with wine notes, history of the property, etc. If you prefer, we can print your menu on the Beard Foundation letterhead. Please also bring display materials, such as restaurant menu, cards, books, etc.

Photography
We try to provide a volunteer photographer for every event, but it is not always possible. If you do have a photographer at your event, please prepare plates for each course to be photographed. The photographer donates his/her services to the Foundation and is a guest at each meal. If you have special publicity/press/photographic needs, please contact Anna Mowry, Associate Editor, at 212.627.1111 x554.

Visiting New York

Accommodations
For a listing of discounted hotel reservations in New York City, we recommend calling “QUICKBOOK” 800.789.9887 or www.quikbook.com or www.hotels.com. They offer an excellent selection of accommodations at every price level.

For prep and storage space in New York, please contact event directorClaudia Karach or Kris Moon.