James Beard
How to find the best restaurants in the United States
When we’re traveling in the United States, a very important part of our travel itinerary is sampling the local cuisine. Through our social media channels, connections with local travel boards, and apps like Yelp and Zagat, it fairly easy to come up with a list of great recommendations.
However, when we want to sample the very best of the best, we always turn to the folks at the James Beard Foundation.
The James Beard Foundation was established in 1986 in honor of James Beard, a cookbook author, television personality, and teacher with an encyclopedic knowledge about food. Beard was a champion of American cuisine and is widely considered the father of American gastronomy. From the beginning, the James Beard Foundation has been at the forefront of America’s culinary revolution.
The Foundation honors the spirit of James Beard by showcasing culinary artists at the historic James Beard House and administering a number of diverse programs. These programs include a national Food Conference, the Leadership Awards, educational initiatives, the James Beard Awards (considered the “Oscars of the food world”), culinary school scholarships, Beard on Books series, and numerous publications in print and online. The Foundation also offers a robust social media community,tastings, lectures, workshops, food-related art exhibits, events for foodies under 30 and educational opportunities for students.
Each year, the James Beard Foundation, publishes its JFB Awards covering all aspects of the industry—from chefs and restaurateurs to cookbook authors and food journalists to restaurant designers and architects and more—the Beard Awards are the highest honor for food and beverage professionals working in North America. The awards are presented each spring at Lincoln Center. Nominees and winners are fêted at a weekend of events in New York City that has become the social and gastronomic highlight of the year.
Each year, the James Beard Foundation publishes a list of award nominees, semifinalists, and finally award winners. Culling through these lists each year has provided us with extraordinary dining experiences as we’ve traveled about the United States.
Therefore, if you’re looking for the very best of the best dining experiences to compliment your travels, we highly recommend that you peek through this list before you travel. And, make certain that you make reservations well in advance. These restaurants are generally in very high demand.
Bon Appétit
Link: The James Beard Awards
If you enjoyed this article, sign up for our monthly newsletter to keep abreast of our best travel tips, on-location reviews, exclusive travel offers, group travel events, and much more.