Much of the food world is hard to find, let alone display, and since all of it is at least nominally subjective there's no way everything laudable can be found, analyzed, and offered appropriate accolades. But the Beard Awards are supposed to try, and given the mess that's been the last several years, I decided to take a closer look this time round and see how they did.
The opening show and interviews were a bit of a mess- lots of food and drink people that are much less comfortable on live camera than their tv and miscellaneous media personas would suggest. Similarly, plenty of chitchat about the red carpet fashions from people who were clearly dressed by their sponsors, but that's not a big deal. Expecting the finest fashion knowhow here is silly, but they certainly all put in some work. The Beard Awards have been likened to the Oscars of the food world, and so a little side-by-side served to set the mood.
A quick moment from Kris Moon, the JBA COO, was full of platitudes about creating a more inclusive, equitable environment in the food and beverage industry.
"Excellence in purpose and process" is a noble notion, but it never seems to come across as fully genuine, especially surrounded by large-brand corporate sponsorships. The longer I watched though, the more my cynicism faded in the background, and the more it seemed to feel genuine... until the hosts felt honored to speak on behalf of their sponsors. But eh. You can't have everything.
There was also plenty of scattered talk about optics and legacies from longtime veterans and former winners. No real surprise on the emphasis there, given the massive upheaval and reorganization of the Association's priorities over the past few years. This seemed to be a suitable field test- highlighted even in the first award, as the 'Emerging Chef 'award went to a protege of last year's winner.
During the "pregame show" interviews I bet myself that the most outre thing in every category would be the odds-on favorite to win, and let me tell you the cynic in me got a lot of vindication over the next few hours.
The first new category, 'Outstanding Bakery' going to a tortilleria had me strongly considering the possibility of overt pandering- but I was stoked to see a more intriguing winner nonetheless, and plan to do some digging into Yoli, because having worked with Gonzalo Guzmán of Nopalito, I know a thing or three about the minutiae involved, and damn.
The Lifetime Achievement Award this year was another excellent decision. They gave the winner away early- it's the exceptional and iconic Madhur Jaffrey. After over fifty years in the industry, she's more than earned her innumerable accolades. Sadly, she couldn't be there in person (who can blame her, she's relentlessly busy and about ninety years old!) but her pre-filmed segment was full of simple, earnest joy. It had me waxing nostalgic and nodding with a grin, even if it were tainted by Priya Krishna here and there.
The Humanitarian Award going to the Black Farmer Fund via Olivia Watkins and Karen "Mama K" Washington was also a delightful step forward in terms of ethical activism in the food world. Highlighting the struggles of marginalized communities against aggressive, active discrimination is something that never gets enough note. This has been a long time coming, and perhaps it'll be enough to jumpstart some positive change at a broader scale, as the notoriety of awards like this can sometimes manage. (Jose Andres's constant yelling 'support somebody else!' has clearly done some good too)
When the category for 'Outstanding Wine' was expanded to 'and Other Beverages', I was similarly pleased. I'm much more of a liquor and non-alcohol specialist, so seeing that placed on a similar pedestal worked wonders for nudging the Fussy French notion of wine supremacy out of the way. Wine's all well and good, but there is so much more beyond it- and the winner was immediately a step aside from wine, going to Ototo in LA- a sake bar!
A more classic category, 'Outstanding Bar', went to the highly regarded Bar Leather Apron in Honolulu. While I don't know much about it personally, I know some folks from Hawaii who do, and I definitely heard some cheering.
The Best Chefs category was, of course, regional, and it seemed tailor-made to highlight unexpected places in those regions. Not just that, but each one seemed to focus to some greater or lesser degree on marginalized cultures, significant struggles, or underappreciated concepts, and managed to do it while not seeming pandering or gratuitous (which left me grudgingly impressed). Similarly, the guest announcers for certain categories and regions felt much more honestly supportive than they felt suspect.
The first one of those that really had me enthused was the marvelous Monti Carlo. She's always been a delight since I first saw her many years on season 3 of Masterchef, and ever since as a tireless advocate for Puerto Rico and the Spanish-speaking side of the restaurant community at large. She brought her best to the mike: "We've been filling these kitchens for so many years, and now we're finally filling out this room.". That is how you make your airtime count. Millions of silent and stifled stories instantly invoked in a single sentence. Glorious.
To some greater or lesser degree a great many of the other winners (and no small number of the presenters) offered their own praises, many to restaurants they grew up in and around, all mingling to continue the strong emphasis on families, legacies, and generational development, all joined in a shared pain and understanding that's hard to explain in a matter that does it justice.
Those waves of pathos led into the regional awards in the America's Classic category. They were given all at once, accompanied by a lovely video compilation highlighting the many characteristics that made each winning establishment the lasting institution they've become.
I'm going to forego the full list of "Best Chef: (Region)" winners here. It'll be in a hundred other places within a day, I'm sure, and my small congratulations won't add much to the avalanche. Likewise with the remaining awards given live- there are many, and to do them justice would take all day.
Overall, this felt like the Beard Association's honest try to do better, and I think they've put in a lot of very messy effort offscreen to make it work. Taking the time to shine a light where others might not bother to look is exactly what an award ceremony like this should be doing. It has massive potential impact to shape the industry, and the opportunity to create lasting positive change shouldn't be held back on in times of chaos and upheaval.
Besides. If we keep changing the way people see our world, eventually it'll change the way we see ourselves.
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