JAMES BEARD FOUNDATION ANNUAL REPORT Fiscal Year 2016 CONTENTS Letter from the Board Chair and President2/ James Beard House4/ James Beard Awards10/ Impact Programs16/ Scholarship Programs24/ Special Events32/ James Beard Media40/ Financial Statements46/ Special Projects52/ Leadership and Support58 LETTER FROM Dear Friends, THE BOARD CHAIR When preparing an annual report, most foun- we continued to work to create a healthier, more dations think first about “the numbers.” Did sustainable food system with our Foundation’s AND PRESIDENT we accomplish all the programs and events we Impact Programs. promised? Did we reach our donor targets? Did Like so many, we believe that you truly get we meet our mission programs budget? We are what you give. The more work we do as a Foun- delighted to report that Fiscal Year 2016 was dation, the more great friends and partners we the James Beard Foundation’s most successful make. Over the past year, we’ve teamed up with in history, delivering a surplus of more than inspiring organizations such as Partnership for $1.1 million on revenues of over $12 million a Healthier America, Food Bank for New York (see pages 50–51). This was a very proud ac- City, Wellness in the Schools, Food Policy Ac- complishment as we approach our Foundation’s tion, and God’s Love We Deliver to bring atten- 30th Anniversary year. tion and resources to some of the most important What really drove the year’s success was peo- food issues of our time. ple: our JBF staff, trustees, and you—the chefs As you read about how we’ve accomplished our and restaurateurs, donors and diners, scholars mission to celebrate, nurture, and honor Ameri- and sponsors, media, and members! And that’s ca’s diverse culinary heritage through programs why we are writing about all of you in this Fiscal that educate and inspire, we hope that you will Year 2016 Annual Report (April 1, 2015–March be inspired to become more involved in our pro- 31, 2016). grams. None of this work would be possible with- Thirty years ago, when the James Beard Foun- out the support of our passionate staff, the wise dation was founded by friends of James Beard, it counsel of our Board of Trustees, and the gener- was with the intent that the Foundation would ous support of our donors and sponsors. continue Beard’s work to elevate the importance “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, of the role of food in our culture and foster the committed people can change the world,” Marga- appreciation of American cookery both here and ret Mead once said. “Indeed, it is the only thing abroad—in the finest of restaurants, at neighbor- that ever has.” hood meeting places, and in our home kitchens. We believe that together, we really can make Over $750,000 in financial aid to students As we celebrate our anniversary, we believe our food world a better place! James Beard would be proud of what the Foun- Nearly 200 fundraising dinners a year at dation has accomplished, and we think he’d be even more delighted to see the direction in which the Beard House we are going. Just a few of our BIG achievements: we brought Over 65 James Beard Awards the most celebrated culinary honors in the coun- EMILY LUCHETTI try, our James Beard Awards, to Chicago; we Chair of the Board of Trustees worked with the U.S. Department of State to Over 60 events in more than 50 cities represent the American perspective on our food world at the USA Pavilion for the 2015 World Five James Beard Leadership Awards Expo in Milan, Italy; we published our second cookbook, James Beard’s All-American Eats, One new James Beard Foundation cookbook which celebrates James Beard Award–winning SUSAN UNGARO community restaurants around the country; and President 2 LETTER FROM THE BOARD CHAIR AND PRESIDENT LETTER FROM THE BOARD CHAIR AND PRESIDENT 3 JAMES BEARD ONE-OF-A-KIND DINING Chef Elizabeth Falkner cooking in the James Beard House kitchen during the HOUSE “Salmon Seduction” dinner JAMES BEARD BY THE NUMBERS 295/27 4,700 MORE THAN 295 JBF PROGRAMS AND OVER 4,700 HOURS WERE VOLUNTEERED EVENTS TOOK PLACE IN 27 STATES AND BY DEDICATED CULINARY STUDENTS TO TERRITORIES THROUGHOUT FISCAL WORKING WITH ESTABLISHED CHEFS. YEAR 2016. 1,075 29,200 MORE THAN 1,075 CHEFS AND CULINARY MORE THAN 29,200 FOOD ENTHUSIASTS PROFESSIONALS WERE FEATURED IN JBF ACROSS AMERICA ATTENDED JBF EVENTS AND PROGRAMS THROUGOUT PROGRAMS AND EVENTS THROUGHOUT FISCAL YEAR 2016. FISCAL YEAR 2016. 6 JAMES BEARD BY THE NUMBERS JAMES BEARD BY THE NUMBERS 7 OPPOSITE BEARD UNIQUE DINING EVENTS Chef Jennifer Puccio, JBF Award winner Jonathan Waxman, and ON BOOKS their teams at their “Bay Area Brilliance” dinner BELOW Beard on Books is a free monthly series of CELEBRATED AUTHORS OF THE FOOD WORLD readings and discussions with celebrated chefs The Beard on Books series included titles like Nora and authors. Madhur Jaffrey, Mindy Segal, Alex Pouillon’s My Organic Life Stupak, and many others headlined Beard on Books events this past year. For almost 30 years, the historic James Beard House HOUSE has hosted one-night-only, pop-up-style dining events that feature the best chefs from across the country. DINNERS Open to JBF members and the general public, our guest-chef dinner series continued in fiscal year 2016, with almost 200 events taking place and more than 400 visiting chefs passing through our storied kitchen. 8 JAMES BEARD HOUSE JAMES BEARD HOUSE 9 JAMES BEARD CELEBRATING TOP TALENT Food Network star Alton Brown hosting the 2015 James Beard AWARDS Awards Gala in Chicago “The James Beard Foundation has enjoyed a special friendship with the city of Chicago for decades. It’s a city that boasts over 40 James Beard Award winners, as well as a special community of chefs and restaurateurs who have always supported the work JAMES BEARD of our Foundation. We believe AWARDS GALA: celebrating our 2015 Awards in 25 YEARS Chicago is consistent with our The James Beard Awards reached two momentous milestones in spring of 2015: the program celebrated its mission to honor excellence all 25th anniversary and, for the first time ever, was held outside New York City, in the exciting culinary city of across America.” Chicago. The Foundation welcomed nearly 1,600 chefs, restaurateurs, sponsors, and food enthusiasts to the ceremony, which was hosted by Alton Brown and took place on May 4 at the Lyric Opera of Chicago, a historic and glamorous performing-arts landmark. SUSAN UNGARO JBF President THE FOOD WORLD’S HIGHEST HONOR TOP RIGHT Guests in the auditorium of Christina Tosi accepts her the Lyric Opera of Chicago, award for Outstanding home to the 2015 JBF Pastry Chef Awards Gala JAMES BEARD AWARDS 13 THE BEST IN FOOD MEDIA Carla Hall and Billy Harris at the 2015 Book, Broadcast & Journalism Awards at New York City’s Pier Sixty JAMES BEARD BOOK, BROADCAST & JOURNALISM AWARDS Hosted by chef, restaurateur, and television personality Carla Hall, the JBF Book, Broadcast & Journalism Awards were held on April 24, 2015, at Pier Sixty at Chelsea Piers in New York City. More than 500 guests attended this celebration of the best cookbooks, reporting, podcasts, digital content, and other culinary media. JAMES BEARD AWARDS 15 JAMES BEARD IMPACT IMPROVING THE FOOD SYSTEM Attendees at a Chefs Boot Camp PROGRAMS in Shelburne, Vermont The 2016 fiscal year concluded with the announcement of the Foundation’s new Impact Programs, which will engage the culinary community in the creation of a sustainable food system that provides nutritious and delicious food for all. Before the announcement, the Foundation spent six years planning, piloting, and instituting programs that address The James Beard Foundation’s Chefs Boot CHEFS BOOT Camp for Policy and Change provides chefs with sustainability and food advocacy. advocacy and leadership skills for food-system CAMP FOR activism. At the Foundation’s 2015 sessions, 30 The existing Impact Programs chefs received training with a focus on childhood POLICY AND nutrition. These participants, now equipped served close to 600 participants with a powerful political voice, belong to the CHANGE Foundation’s growing community of Chefs Boot last year. Camp alumni who are striving to create a better food system for all Americans. LEADERS FOR CHANGE Chefs Boot Camp participants at Glynwood Center in Cold Spring, New York IMPACT PROGRAMS 19 THE JBF FOOD CONFERENCE JBF welcomed nearly 250 dynamic professionals from the health and sustainability fields at the sixth annual JBF Food Conference. Themed “Rethinking the Future of Food,” the two-day SHIFTING THE gathering featured thought-provoking panels AMERICAN DIET and presentations. Speakers included Secretary Ellen Stofan, NASA’s chief scientist, presents “The World of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and NASA’s chief We Can See” at the 2015 JBF scientist Ellen Stofan. Food Conference For the fifth year in a row, JBF presented its THE JBF annual Leadership Awards, which honor pioneers and changemakers in agriculture, nutrition, and LEADERSHIP sustainability. The October ceremony, which took place in New York City atop Hearst Tower, AWARDS celebrated the following individuals: Don Bustos, farmer and co-director of the American Friends Service Committee; Eliot Coleman, farmer, author, agricultural researcher, and educator; Saru Jayaraman, co-founder and co-director, Restaurant Opportunities Centers United and Director, Food Labor Research Center at University of California, FOOD WORLD Berkeley; Sam Kass, former senior policy advisor for VISIONARIES nutrition, The White House; and Bryant Terry, chef, The 2015 JBF Leadership Award recipients author, and food justice activist. 20 IMPACT PROGRAMS IMPACT PROGRAMS 21 FOOD FOR THOUGHT ENLIGHTENED OPPOSITE Chefs participate in a fish butchery Culinary Lab led by EATERS chef Derek Wagner BELOW JBF Leadership Award recipient Marion Nestle’s Free and open to the public, Enlightened Eaters is a latest book, Soda Politics, series of talks featuring influential authors whose work was part of the year’s Enlightened Eaters series focuses on public health, sustainability, and more.