Here's what's coming up at the James Beard House and around the country:
Monday, March 30, 6:30 P.M.
The From Scratch Sessions: An Evening of Armagnac
Join the JBF Greens (foodies under 40) for a class on France’s oldest spirit, Armagnac, at New York’s new high-end, low-key bar, The Up & Up. Wine educator and Armagnac ambassador, May Matta-Aliah, will lead us through a tasting of Armagnacs, exploring the region, production process, and differences in styles and ages. The Up & Up owner Matt Piacentini and head bartender Chaim Dauermann will then show us how to make creative modern cocktails using the spirit. The Greens will also enjoy snacks from Les Trois Petits Cochons.
Monday, March 30, 7:00 P.M.
Bay Area Spring
At San Francisco’s AQ, a JBF Award nominee for Best New Restaurant when it opened in 2012, chef Mark Liberman merges Northern California’s hyperseasonal style with a rigorous but discreet use of modernist techniques. This dinner will feature ingredients from his team’s winter preservation along with early spring produce.
Tuesday, March 31, 7:00 P.M.
Nashville Buzz
Housed in an iconic former movie theater, Nashville’s acclaimed Sinema is swiftly making its mark on the American dining landscape. Join us at the Beard House for a taste of longtime Chicago resident and Top Chef alum Dale Levitski’s eclectic, modern cuisine that’s reverberating across Music City and beyond.
Wednesday, April 1, 7:00 P.M.
Spring Celebration: Local Rivers, Pastures, and Farms
Enjoy this seasonal sneak peek into the dining room at the prestigious and exceptionally private Century Country Club, which has been in existence since 1898. Beard House guests will be treated to a menu inspired by the farmers’ market offerings of early spring.
Thursday, April 2, 7:00 P.M.
Celebrating 175 Years of Antoine's
Antoine’s, one of the Crescent City’s most legendary restaurants, is ringing in its 175th anniversary at the Beard House! Still owned and operated by its founding family, this bastion of French Creole flavor is a true American classic and will surely deliver a night and a meal to remember.
Thursday, April 2, 7:00 P.M.
Enlightened Eaters: Amy Bentley
Is there a substance more emblematic of the modern American diet than baby food? As Amy Bentley explores through her new book, Inventing Baby Food, though it was virtually nonexistent at the turn of the twentieth century, by the 1950s commercial baby food had come to represent postwar America’s efficiency, convenience, and industry, and continues to influence our culture even today. As Bentley contends, if we are what we eat, our earliest encounters may form the basis for our nation’s citizens of the past, present, and future.
