Tune into the Beard Awards Gala on Monday, May 4

Time to unroll the red carpet and polish the Champagne flutes: next Monday is the culinary industry's biggest night. What's more, it's the 25th anniversary of the Beards, and, for the first time ever, we're bringing the show to the great city of Chicago.

Not joining us at Lyric Opera of Chicago? That's okay—It's easy to follow along at home. And why not invite a few friends over for a JBF Award viewing party? Just tune into our live broadcast at jamesbeard.org/awards. The ceremony begins at 6:00 P.M. Central. We'll also be covering the chef-studded red carpet on our Periscope account (username "Beard Foundation") starting at 5:00 P.M. Central. As always, we'll be live-tweeting the ceremony @beardfoundation and, here on our blog, posting videos from the show, winner recaps, and great reads about the America's Classics, Who's Who inductees, and much more. Make sure you're following us on Instagram, too, for all the action backstage, in the press room, and at the tasting reception.

And what's a Beard event without some great food? We've got delicious recipes from JBF Award winners Jaime Bissonnette, Patrick O'Connell, and Jimmy Bannos, Jr. for the ultimate JBFA viewing party. Drinks are covered, too, thanks to this Champagne-anchored cocktail from the NoMad Bar. Feel like your hosting skills are a bit rusty? Get Carla Hall's essential entertaining tips.

See you on Monday, May 4!

The James Beard Awards would not be possible without the support of these generous sponsors:

Presenting Sponsor Lexus

In-Association Sponsors HMSHost * The Illinois Office of Tourism * Mariano's

The James Beard Foundation gratefully acknowledges the generous support of:

The Chicago Department of Aviation * Choose Chicago * The Illinois Restaurant Association

See our complete list of sponsors at jamesbeard.org/awards/sponsors.

Anna Mowry is senior editor at the James Beard Foundation. Find her on Twitter and Instagram.