Read the complete list of the 2021 audit recommendations here and for the full press announcement click here.

For more than 30 years, the annual James Beard Awards have provided national acclaim and recognition of some of the best restaurants, food and beverage professionals, authors, publishers, journalists, broadcast media, and others in the food ecosystem. 

In 2020, the country was forced to reckon with a pandemic that has been unforgiving to the food and beverage, hospitality, media, and broader food systems; and social uprising that laid bare existing racial injustice and inequities in the industry and beyond.  

The James Beard Foundation heard calls from the restaurant community and the public for a more inclusive and transparent Awards process, and felt it was critical to take time for self-reflection around who and where we were as an organization. We recognized our responsibility as industry leaders and, in August 2020, announced an audit of policies and procedures, where we began the process of reviewing all elements of the Award program, with the aim of making comprehensive and meaningful changes.  

The Foundation made the difficult decision to forgo its traditional Awards presentation in 2020 and 2021 considering the state of the industry and in order to focus on this work. The audit of policies and procedures was conducted by a range of stakeholders, including subcommittee members, the Awards committee, James Beard Foundation staff, and consulting firms, EY, Rally, and Postelsia, on topics such as protocols and process, equity, and sustainability. In addition, Debevoise & Plimpton provided legal guidance during the process. We thank the many stakeholders who dedicated countless hours to carry out this meaningful work, and those who continue to do so. 

The audit objectives were to continue the work to remove any systemic bias, increase the diversity of the voting body, ensure that communities far and wide know about the awards and how eligible candidates may apply, increase transparency in how the Awards function, and align the Awards more outwardly with the Foundation’s mission and values. The areas of focus included a code of ethics, composition of committees and judges, criteria for winners, and developing policies and procedures for unforeseen events. 

The Awards exist to serve, inspire, and celebrate the communities of independent restaurant and media industries. 

We humbly give thanks to our industry.  

 

2022 Audit Outcomes

We are pleased to share the first round of results based on our audit recommendations announced in 2021: 

Committee Terms of Service:    

Goal: standardize Committee and Subcommittee terms to two (2) two-year terms, instead of three (3) three-year terms.  

Result: This has been put into place, effective 2022.   

Diversity: 

Diversity Goals for Committee Members and Judges: 45% BIPOC (2022-23), increasing to 50% (2023+)   

Result: 

  • Committee: 45.5% 
  • Judges: 45.17%   

Voting Body: 

Per our 2021 audit recommendations, judges have been made public following the Awards ceremonies for the 2022 James Beard Awards voting body.  

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We will provide additional updates to our recommendations. Please continue to check this page. 

As we move forward with these changes, we will continue to assess the Awards, in collaboration with our committees, challenge ourselves and engage with our communities whom we serve and award in order to learn, adjust and continue building for the future. 

Thank you. 
 
For more information: 
FAQs
Policies and Procedures
Code of ethics