As we prepare to gather as an industry in Chicago and celebrate the excellence of the nominees and winners, we wanted to take a moment to acknowledge the journey that we all are taking together to arrive at a more equitable industry.
The James Beard Awards, a program of the James Beard Foundation, seeks to celebrate and inspire the communities of independent restaurant and food media industries. Central to this purpose is the Awards’ mission: to recognize exceptional talent and achievement in the culinary arts, hospitality, media, and broader food system, as well as a demonstrated commitment to racial and gender equity, community, sustainability, and a culture where all can thrive.
We understand the impact of the Awards in driving positive change by celebrating those who embody our values and standard of excellence.
In support of the Awards, we have devoted significant time, resources, and consideration in implementing an independent Ethics Committee, a Code of Ethics, and a robust ethics process. Our ethics process was designed to protect the integrity of the Awards and its mission, while being fair to those it seeks to celebrate. We are proud of this process and believe it reflects our values and the overall mission of the Foundation: to celebrate, support, and elevate the people behind America’s food culture and champion a standard of good food anchored in talent, equity, and sustainability. This is what we call “Good Food for Good.”
A summary of the ethics process can be found here. In fairness to all parties involved, the Foundation generally does not comment on particular ethics matters.
