In restaurant culture, there’s one name that’s often on everybody’s lips—James Beard. Sometimes referred to as “the Oscars of the food world,” the James Beard Foundation Awards are held annually to recognize chefs, restaurateurs, journalists, and leaders in the industry. But the Friends of James Beard Benefit, a dinner held on June 24 at The American Restaurant, had a different mission in mind.
The American is home to the longest-running Friends of James Beard Benefit, with this year being its 22nd annual after doing some “COVID math,” according to Izabela Wojcik, director of Friends of James Beard Benefits, who offered heartfelt gratitude to everyone for making the evening possible. The iconic restaurant opened its doors last weekend for its first public event since 2020, to support the mission of James Beard and raise funds for the foundation’s nonprofit activities, which include culinary scholarships and the Open for Good campaign, a movement to help independent restaurants rebuild after COVID-19.
A silent auction showcased each chef who would later present a dish, with gift cards to Colby Garrelts’s Rye and Andrew Longres’s Acre, dinner at Michael Smith’s Farina, a private pastry class with Nick Wesemann, and the complete line of newly released Annx spirits by Celina Tio, all benefitting the JBF. Yoli Tortilleria co-owner, and recent James Beard Award winner, Marissa Gencarelli was also in attendance and submitted a cooking class to the auction.
The evening began with Champagne and current American executive chef Michael Olson’s four beautifully presented appetizers. The hamachi aquachile was a favorite, but there were no disappointments between a whimsical smoked carrot cornet, takoyaki with grilled octopus and potato, and beef tendon and purple asparagus bite.
Each chef took the time to introduce their dishes, and themselves, to the crowd. They spoke a bit about their time at The American and their connection to James Beard. Several of the chefs—Garrelts, Smith, and Tio—are James Beard Award winners, and Wesemann was a semifinalist. The American has become known for turning rising stars into nationally recognized chefs, and the proof was undeniable on Saturday.
The four-course dinner menu began with a creamy foie gras tarte by Longres, aided by poached rhubarb and black pepper. Tio’s vegetable pancake followed, topped with tea-smoked pheasant and an umami garlic sauce. The timbale, Smith’s king crab creation, was covered in Australian black truffles and a farmhouse pomodoro sauce. Last came Garrelts’s striploin with wood-roasted maitake mushroom and fermented farro. All unfairly delicious.
Wesemann spoiled diners with not one, but two desserts (a pre-dessert and the real one), as well as petit fours. The pre-dessert was an artistic canvas of melon, matcha, honey, and burnt vanilla. Manjari chocolate, sour cherry, and sweet corn covered the dessert plate, and everyone was sent home with macarons by in-house pastry chef, Nicolette Felling.
The passion for James Beard’s long-lasting effect was clear, as several diners spoke to Wojcik about Beard’s impact on their lives, and their desire to continue in the restaurant industry because of the foundation’s work. Earlier in the evening, the American was referred to as a hive of culinary creativity that supported the vital mission of the James Beard Foundation. One of the foundation’s goals is to turn restaurant work into a more sustainable, accessible career path. For everyone’s sake, let’s hope they succeed.
