1 00:00:09,160 --> 00:00:12,520 Speaker 1: Hello, and welcome to Saber production of iHeartRadio. I'm Annie Reese. 2 00:00:12,160 --> 00:00:14,840 Speaker 2: And I'm Warren Vogelbaum, and today we have a classic 3 00:00:14,920 --> 00:00:17,240 Speaker 2: episode for you about James Beard. 4 00:00:18,079 --> 00:00:21,440 Speaker 3: Yes, was there any particular reason this was on your mind? Lauren? 5 00:00:22,120 --> 00:00:28,760 Speaker 2: Uh, Well, the nominees for the twenty twenty four James 6 00:00:28,840 --> 00:00:32,880 Speaker 2: Beard Awards were just announced in April and the ceremonies 7 00:00:32,920 --> 00:00:36,239 Speaker 2: in June, so like, his name was kind of in 8 00:00:36,280 --> 00:00:37,680 Speaker 2: the back of my head and I was sort of 9 00:00:37,680 --> 00:00:39,879 Speaker 2: going through and I was like, yeah, yeah, why not. 10 00:00:40,760 --> 00:00:46,360 Speaker 2: We were super punchy in this one. It Yeah. It 11 00:00:46,400 --> 00:00:50,960 Speaker 2: originally aired in April of twenty eighteen. Speaking of the 12 00:00:51,040 --> 00:00:54,280 Speaker 2: awards this year, good luck to friend of the show, 13 00:00:54,320 --> 00:00:58,400 Speaker 2: Mike Jordan, who is a local Atlanta food writer who 14 00:00:58,480 --> 00:01:03,400 Speaker 2: is up for a Journalism award for his excellent local coverage. 15 00:01:03,560 --> 00:01:08,399 Speaker 1: Yeah, yes, good luck. And it is amazing to me 16 00:01:08,480 --> 00:01:13,399 Speaker 1: how many times James Beard and James Beard Awards do 17 00:01:13,560 --> 00:01:17,840 Speaker 1: come up in our episodes. Oh yeah, yeah, so it 18 00:01:17,920 --> 00:01:22,480 Speaker 1: is certainly something that is recurring and on the back 19 00:01:22,520 --> 00:01:24,600 Speaker 1: of our minds frequently, I would say, because it's just 20 00:01:24,640 --> 00:01:26,319 Speaker 1: there and a lot of things we talked about. 21 00:01:26,840 --> 00:01:33,080 Speaker 2: Yeah, he was really omnipresent in like twentieth century American cuisine. 22 00:01:33,880 --> 00:01:37,200 Speaker 1: Yes, yes, and as we talked about in our conversation 23 00:01:37,319 --> 00:01:42,199 Speaker 1: with Michelle Norris, that was amazing. There are just certain 24 00:01:42,200 --> 00:01:46,200 Speaker 1: people that have those personalities that did those things that 25 00:01:46,319 --> 00:01:49,320 Speaker 1: just stood out and have are so important to so 26 00:01:49,360 --> 00:01:52,680 Speaker 1: many people. Yeah, and I would say he is one 27 00:01:52,720 --> 00:01:53,600 Speaker 1: of them for sure. 28 00:01:54,000 --> 00:01:57,760 Speaker 2: Yeah, despite you know, trouble in his personal life sometimes 29 00:01:57,840 --> 00:02:01,800 Speaker 2: and some moments of darkness. Uh yeah, just a just 30 00:02:01,840 --> 00:02:06,320 Speaker 2: a very very big, very big person, very big guy. Yep, no, 31 00:02:06,320 --> 00:02:09,160 Speaker 2: no pun pun pun intended is sorry? Yeah, that's yeah, 32 00:02:09,200 --> 00:02:09,760 Speaker 2: that's my bun. 33 00:02:09,960 --> 00:02:13,480 Speaker 3: He was tall. Hello. 34 00:02:14,800 --> 00:02:17,120 Speaker 1: I suppose we should let pass Annie and Lauren take 35 00:02:17,160 --> 00:02:28,440 Speaker 1: it away. 36 00:02:30,120 --> 00:02:32,480 Speaker 3: Hello, and welcome to food Stuff. I'm Ann Aries and 37 00:02:32,600 --> 00:02:33,680 Speaker 3: I'm Lauren Vogelbaum. 38 00:02:33,880 --> 00:02:37,280 Speaker 2: And uh, today we're doing another chef profile. 39 00:02:37,760 --> 00:02:42,160 Speaker 1: Yes, it is about time we returned to the personality 40 00:02:42,360 --> 00:02:43,600 Speaker 1: of people cooking. 41 00:02:43,760 --> 00:02:45,320 Speaker 3: Well, the last time we did was Julie Child. 42 00:02:45,520 --> 00:02:47,960 Speaker 1: Yes, and that's gonna be tough to follow, but I 43 00:02:48,000 --> 00:02:50,800 Speaker 1: think today's subject is a good follow up. 44 00:02:51,000 --> 00:02:53,440 Speaker 2: Yeah, today we're talking about James Beard. 45 00:02:54,200 --> 00:02:56,920 Speaker 1: Yes, of the awards you have probably seen if you 46 00:02:57,000 --> 00:03:02,840 Speaker 1: don't know who he actually is, and he is infinitely quotable. 47 00:03:02,880 --> 00:03:07,680 Speaker 1: He had a very big personality. Yeah, so one of 48 00:03:07,680 --> 00:03:09,840 Speaker 1: the quotes of the episode I wanted to start off with, 49 00:03:10,600 --> 00:03:13,680 Speaker 1: the only thing that will make a soupfle fall is 50 00:03:13,720 --> 00:03:18,119 Speaker 1: if it knows you're afraid of it. I knew soupfles 51 00:03:18,160 --> 00:03:19,080 Speaker 1: could sense fear. 52 00:03:19,400 --> 00:03:22,440 Speaker 2: They can, they can smell it. I've never successfully made 53 00:03:22,440 --> 00:03:25,160 Speaker 2: a sup fly me neither. I've been blaming my oven, 54 00:03:25,240 --> 00:03:26,680 Speaker 2: not my fear this whole time. 55 00:03:26,800 --> 00:03:29,680 Speaker 3: But that's where we were going wrong. That's where we 56 00:03:29,680 --> 00:03:31,919 Speaker 3: were going wrong. And he has another quote that I love. 57 00:03:32,639 --> 00:03:35,640 Speaker 1: I believe that if ever I had to practice cannibalism, 58 00:03:36,160 --> 00:03:39,040 Speaker 1: I might manage if there were enough Tarragon around. 59 00:03:39,480 --> 00:03:42,200 Speaker 2: I believe that about him, with or without Taragon. To 60 00:03:42,280 --> 00:03:48,280 Speaker 2: be super honest, calling James Beard Againnibal, I'm saying that 61 00:03:48,760 --> 00:03:55,880 Speaker 2: he had a great hunger for life and culinary experiences, 62 00:03:56,160 --> 00:03:59,560 Speaker 2: and that he could be a little bit cutthroat at times, 63 00:04:00,280 --> 00:04:05,080 Speaker 2: so not literally like mostly not that I've heard of. 64 00:04:05,120 --> 00:04:08,520 Speaker 2: Oh my goodness, this is going very poorly. James Beard Foundation, 65 00:04:08,760 --> 00:04:10,800 Speaker 2: Please don't, please, don't put out a hit on me. 66 00:04:10,840 --> 00:04:12,600 Speaker 3: Not that I'm implying that that's what he did. Oh, 67 00:04:12,680 --> 00:04:13,680 Speaker 3: Lauren Lauren. 68 00:04:13,920 --> 00:04:14,840 Speaker 2: Oh, it's is failing. 69 00:04:16,400 --> 00:04:19,560 Speaker 3: It's time to dig Lauren out of this grave that 70 00:04:19,680 --> 00:04:23,600 Speaker 3: she has put herself in. Oh goodness, So who who 71 00:04:23,920 --> 00:04:25,040 Speaker 3: was James Beard? 72 00:04:25,080 --> 00:04:25,400 Speaker 1: Lauren? 73 00:04:25,440 --> 00:04:28,080 Speaker 3: And try not to talk about cannibalism too well, okay. 74 00:04:29,240 --> 00:04:33,240 Speaker 2: James Beard, sometimes called the Dean of American cooking, at 75 00:04:33,320 --> 00:04:35,640 Speaker 2: least starting when The New York Times called him that 76 00:04:35,680 --> 00:04:39,719 Speaker 2: in nineteen fifty four, is one of the creators or 77 00:04:39,920 --> 00:04:45,920 Speaker 2: originators or visionaries of modern American food culture. Coming out 78 00:04:45,920 --> 00:04:48,600 Speaker 2: of the rationing of the World Wars and the Great 79 00:04:48,600 --> 00:04:52,680 Speaker 2: Depression and rebelling against the industrialization of food and all 80 00:04:52,680 --> 00:04:56,880 Speaker 2: the dour messaging of temperance and prohibition, and even rebelling 81 00:04:56,960 --> 00:05:01,279 Speaker 2: kind of against the codified and perceivably stuffy nature of 82 00:05:01,320 --> 00:05:06,200 Speaker 2: hot cuisine. James Beard promoted the pursuit of pleasure and 83 00:05:06,320 --> 00:05:12,560 Speaker 2: creativity or crafting through cooking and eating, and especially the 84 00:05:12,560 --> 00:05:18,159 Speaker 2: elevation of like common, traditional, local, sustainable, and frequently poor 85 00:05:18,680 --> 00:05:23,080 Speaker 2: American foods, elevating those to celebratory status. Like y'all, we 86 00:05:23,120 --> 00:05:26,200 Speaker 2: all enjoy cheeseburgers, and you can make one that's just 87 00:05:26,240 --> 00:05:30,040 Speaker 2: as much delicacy as any hot recipe. Oh yeah, and 88 00:05:30,080 --> 00:05:31,960 Speaker 2: you can do it with your own two hands, from 89 00:05:32,120 --> 00:05:33,719 Speaker 2: ingredients produced by your community. 90 00:05:34,560 --> 00:05:36,080 Speaker 3: Absolutely can, uh. 91 00:05:36,560 --> 00:05:40,320 Speaker 2: And that sounds kind of like pat at this point, 92 00:05:40,360 --> 00:05:44,159 Speaker 2: but he was saying this in like the nineteen fifties. Yeah, 93 00:05:44,200 --> 00:05:46,360 Speaker 2: and it was a revelation to a lot of people, 94 00:05:46,800 --> 00:05:49,840 Speaker 2: especially because he was saying it, you know that you can. 95 00:05:49,880 --> 00:05:50,960 Speaker 2: You don't have to be a chef. You can be 96 00:05:51,000 --> 00:05:52,640 Speaker 2: a chef or an amateur. You don't have to be 97 00:05:52,720 --> 00:05:54,200 Speaker 2: a lady. You could be a dude or a lady 98 00:05:54,200 --> 00:05:56,480 Speaker 2: if you're doing it at home. That this is accessible 99 00:05:56,520 --> 00:05:59,920 Speaker 2: to everybody. And yeah, it's a message that's just profound 100 00:06:00,240 --> 00:06:03,800 Speaker 2: influenced how Americans cook and eat, both at restaurants and 101 00:06:04,040 --> 00:06:04,920 Speaker 2: in homes. 102 00:06:05,240 --> 00:06:09,000 Speaker 3: What's the thing from Raditui, what's the quote. 103 00:06:08,800 --> 00:06:10,039 Speaker 2: I've never seen ratitude? 104 00:06:10,320 --> 00:06:13,880 Speaker 1: No, Lauren, get out of here now now you can 105 00:06:13,920 --> 00:06:17,160 Speaker 1: stay and something like anyone can be a chef. 106 00:06:17,200 --> 00:06:17,640 Speaker 3: I don't know. 107 00:06:17,800 --> 00:06:20,800 Speaker 1: It's much more inspirational or perhaps just said with a 108 00:06:20,800 --> 00:06:24,440 Speaker 1: fake French accent, so it sounds like that essentially. I 109 00:06:24,440 --> 00:06:26,480 Speaker 1: think it's encapsulating that that. 110 00:06:26,880 --> 00:06:27,120 Speaker 3: Yeah. 111 00:06:27,240 --> 00:06:31,480 Speaker 2: Yeah, and James Beard was, as you said earlier, one 112 00:06:31,520 --> 00:06:34,320 Speaker 2: of those larger than life kind of personalities, and he 113 00:06:34,520 --> 00:06:37,480 Speaker 2: was like six foot four inches and about three hundred pounds, 114 00:06:37,800 --> 00:06:39,919 Speaker 2: which is around one point nine meters and one hundred 115 00:06:39,920 --> 00:06:42,240 Speaker 2: and thirty six kilos for our metric friends, so you know, 116 00:06:42,680 --> 00:06:45,919 Speaker 2: literally a little bit larger than life. But yeah, he 117 00:06:46,000 --> 00:06:50,400 Speaker 2: was one of modern mass media's first celebrity chefs, and 118 00:06:50,440 --> 00:06:53,680 Speaker 2: a cookbook author and essayist and a cooking teacher, and 119 00:06:53,760 --> 00:06:57,400 Speaker 2: just an inspiration to the culinary industry at large, including 120 00:06:57,440 --> 00:07:00,600 Speaker 2: to that first chef who we profiled, Julia Cha. Yep, 121 00:07:00,760 --> 00:07:03,640 Speaker 2: the two of them became great friends. But I didn't 122 00:07:03,680 --> 00:07:05,720 Speaker 2: mention that in our Julia episode, and I've been kind 123 00:07:05,720 --> 00:07:08,640 Speaker 2: of kicking myself for it ever since. She once said, 124 00:07:09,120 --> 00:07:11,080 Speaker 2: in the beginning, there was Beard. 125 00:07:12,200 --> 00:07:15,000 Speaker 3: I love that. That's fantastic, right, oh. 126 00:07:15,920 --> 00:07:19,680 Speaker 2: James Beard was also pretty openly gay through a number 127 00:07:19,720 --> 00:07:23,160 Speaker 2: of decades when that was anything from just distinctly impolite 128 00:07:23,200 --> 00:07:26,679 Speaker 2: to discuss to outright illegal here in the United States 129 00:07:27,120 --> 00:07:31,680 Speaker 2: and perhaps especially in American professional kitchens. He came out 130 00:07:31,720 --> 00:07:34,960 Speaker 2: publicly in the nineteen eighty one revision of his memoir 131 00:07:35,080 --> 00:07:38,720 Speaker 2: Delights and Prejudices, just four years before his death, but 132 00:07:38,840 --> 00:07:41,560 Speaker 2: it wasn't really discussed in the food community until the 133 00:07:41,600 --> 00:07:45,320 Speaker 2: two thousands. Neither his obituaries nor those of his like 134 00:07:45,480 --> 00:07:48,840 Speaker 2: thirty year erstwhile partner, this pastry chef by the name 135 00:07:48,840 --> 00:07:53,040 Speaker 2: of Gino Cafacci. None of that mentioned their orientation. They 136 00:07:53,080 --> 00:07:56,080 Speaker 2: would be like, they're great friends. But sure, I mean 137 00:07:56,120 --> 00:07:59,680 Speaker 2: they were, I guess, But and I don't mention this 138 00:07:59,720 --> 00:08:05,240 Speaker 2: because as the sexual orientation of any chef or celebrity 139 00:08:05,280 --> 00:08:08,760 Speaker 2: particularly matters, but rather because it's important to consider the 140 00:08:08,800 --> 00:08:14,080 Speaker 2: contributions of LGBTQ plus people to American culture, despite and 141 00:08:14,480 --> 00:08:19,080 Speaker 2: maybe even because of the marginalization and discrimination that they've seen. 142 00:08:19,840 --> 00:08:23,000 Speaker 2: It's just such an American story, you know, life, liberty, 143 00:08:23,240 --> 00:08:26,000 Speaker 2: and the pursuit of happiness in the face of hardship. 144 00:08:26,440 --> 00:08:31,200 Speaker 2: So yeah, yeah, James Beard wrote in his nineteen forty 145 00:08:31,280 --> 00:08:35,680 Speaker 2: nine The Fireside Cookbook, America has the opportunity as well 146 00:08:35,720 --> 00:08:39,400 Speaker 2: as the resources, to create for herself a truly national 147 00:08:39,440 --> 00:08:41,880 Speaker 2: cuisine that will incorporate all that is best in the 148 00:08:41,920 --> 00:08:44,760 Speaker 2: traditions of the many people who have crossed the seas 149 00:08:45,080 --> 00:08:50,800 Speaker 2: to form our new, still young nation. Oh yeah, from 150 00:08:50,800 --> 00:08:54,560 Speaker 2: my little heart, I know, yeah, I know, I got 151 00:08:54,720 --> 00:08:58,840 Speaker 2: for climbed a little bit in this one too. These days. Also, 152 00:08:58,920 --> 00:09:02,240 Speaker 2: as Annie said, earlier. You might mostly know of Beard 153 00:09:02,280 --> 00:09:06,480 Speaker 2: through the much lauded James Beard Awards, which come in many, 154 00:09:06,600 --> 00:09:11,680 Speaker 2: much multiple categories for food writing in cookbooks, media and journalism, 155 00:09:11,960 --> 00:09:16,880 Speaker 2: and the restaurant industry for restaurant design, service and individual chefs. 156 00:09:17,320 --> 00:09:20,319 Speaker 2: But I am getting way ahead of us. Yes, that 157 00:09:20,760 --> 00:09:24,680 Speaker 2: didn't start happening until after his death, So let us. 158 00:09:24,600 --> 00:09:28,400 Speaker 3: Talk about his life. Yeah, so let's do that. 159 00:09:29,360 --> 00:09:32,280 Speaker 1: James Beard was born on May fifth, nineteen oh three, 160 00:09:32,320 --> 00:09:37,240 Speaker 1: in Portland, Oregon, to English immigrant Mary Elizabeth and John Beard. 161 00:09:37,520 --> 00:09:40,679 Speaker 1: According to some sources, he was at thirteen to fourteen 162 00:09:40,760 --> 00:09:41,440 Speaker 1: pound baby. 163 00:09:41,600 --> 00:09:41,840 Speaker 2: Oh. 164 00:09:42,440 --> 00:09:46,440 Speaker 1: I certainly hope that wasn't the case, but well, whatever 165 00:09:46,559 --> 00:09:51,280 Speaker 1: the case was. Mary owned the Gladstone, a local boarding house, 166 00:09:51,360 --> 00:09:54,680 Speaker 1: and John Beard worked at Portland's custom House. Beard later 167 00:09:54,679 --> 00:09:58,920 Speaker 1: described his father as a Mississippi gambler type who wore 168 00:09:58,920 --> 00:10:02,520 Speaker 1: a red carnation, smelled of fine soaps, and was loved 169 00:10:02,559 --> 00:10:06,400 Speaker 1: by all the ladies, which really paints a pretty good 170 00:10:06,400 --> 00:10:07,080 Speaker 1: picture of him. 171 00:10:07,200 --> 00:10:08,079 Speaker 3: Uh huh. 172 00:10:08,360 --> 00:10:11,720 Speaker 1: His mother sounds fascinating. When she arrived to America from Europe, 173 00:10:11,760 --> 00:10:16,079 Speaker 1: she was sixteen and pretending successfully to be a governess, 174 00:10:16,720 --> 00:10:20,200 Speaker 1: eventually buying the Gladstone in Portland in eighteen ninety six, 175 00:10:20,480 --> 00:10:24,320 Speaker 1: where she ran the hotel's kitchen. Apparently Portland was quite 176 00:10:24,320 --> 00:10:28,160 Speaker 1: the bustling port at the time, and one whose description 177 00:10:28,240 --> 00:10:29,800 Speaker 1: reminded me of pirates. 178 00:10:29,400 --> 00:10:32,000 Speaker 3: Of the Caribbean Yeah or Caribbean. 179 00:10:32,720 --> 00:10:36,520 Speaker 1: At first, she staffed her kitchen with mostly French and 180 00:10:36,559 --> 00:10:39,400 Speaker 1: Italian immigrants, but to her annoyance, a lot of them 181 00:10:39,840 --> 00:10:43,400 Speaker 1: up and left after catching gold fever. She found a 182 00:10:43,400 --> 00:10:46,559 Speaker 1: solution by hiring Chinese workers, some of whose names you 183 00:10:46,640 --> 00:10:49,200 Speaker 1: might recognize from Beard's recipes and writings. 184 00:10:49,600 --> 00:10:51,760 Speaker 3: Let, Jin, Billy, and Hoy. 185 00:10:52,760 --> 00:10:55,840 Speaker 1: James Beard was known for his theatrics, and I'd say 186 00:10:55,880 --> 00:10:59,600 Speaker 1: from reading Barry Fussles for to the Essential James Beard 187 00:10:59,600 --> 00:11:04,320 Speaker 1: Cookbook he got that from his mother. Fussel describes arguments 188 00:11:04,360 --> 00:11:07,440 Speaker 1: between Let and Elizabeth over things like the proper way 189 00:11:07,480 --> 00:11:12,480 Speaker 1: to preserve a fig that turned into fencing matches. Let 190 00:11:12,600 --> 00:11:15,960 Speaker 1: armed with a knife and Elizabeth with a piece of firewood. 191 00:11:16,679 --> 00:11:21,320 Speaker 1: Such arguments usually ended in laughter and not injury. Though 192 00:11:21,520 --> 00:11:25,280 Speaker 1: through observing these passionate arguments, along with the melting pot 193 00:11:25,320 --> 00:11:28,360 Speaker 1: of cuisine from China from England in the Pacific, Beard 194 00:11:28,400 --> 00:11:32,960 Speaker 1: acquired quote a love of food. He also described himself 195 00:11:33,000 --> 00:11:37,640 Speaker 1: as precocious and nasty a child as ever inhabited Portland. 196 00:11:39,600 --> 00:11:41,040 Speaker 3: At least he was aware. 197 00:11:43,600 --> 00:11:46,600 Speaker 1: He also had an excellent taste memory, and his first 198 00:11:46,600 --> 00:11:50,400 Speaker 1: one reminds me of Kung Fu Panda too. I wonder 199 00:11:50,400 --> 00:11:53,120 Speaker 1: if anyone will get this reference. We're gonna go with 200 00:11:53,160 --> 00:11:53,920 Speaker 1: it anyway. 201 00:11:54,080 --> 00:11:57,120 Speaker 2: I also haven't seen that film, Oh man, please continue. 202 00:11:57,880 --> 00:12:00,800 Speaker 1: As a baby, he found his way to a vegetable 203 00:12:00,840 --> 00:12:04,040 Speaker 1: bin and ate an entire onion, including the skin. 204 00:12:04,800 --> 00:12:06,120 Speaker 3: And now, if you've seen Kung. 205 00:12:05,920 --> 00:12:08,200 Speaker 1: Fu Panda too, and I could go on and on, 206 00:12:09,400 --> 00:12:13,520 Speaker 1: the panda was found in a radish bin and he 207 00:12:13,679 --> 00:12:14,599 Speaker 1: ate all the radishes. 208 00:12:15,000 --> 00:12:17,680 Speaker 3: And there's a whole cute thing that's involved. 209 00:12:17,720 --> 00:12:21,520 Speaker 1: Anyway, moving on, I brought up two children's peries in 210 00:12:21,559 --> 00:12:23,880 Speaker 1: this episode, and we're very early on. 211 00:12:24,320 --> 00:12:26,559 Speaker 3: Let's see how anymore I can hit. Yeah. 212 00:12:26,640 --> 00:12:29,280 Speaker 1: When he was sick with malaria at three years old, 213 00:12:29,559 --> 00:12:33,080 Speaker 1: he recalled it being given a chicken jelly. From a 214 00:12:33,080 --> 00:12:35,920 Speaker 1: young age, his father took him to restaurants in Portland, 215 00:12:36,000 --> 00:12:39,240 Speaker 1: weekly Lett took him to Chinatown, and his mother took 216 00:12:39,280 --> 00:12:41,600 Speaker 1: him to see the Louver when he was five, where 217 00:12:41,640 --> 00:12:44,520 Speaker 1: he got a taste of French cuisine. However, as he 218 00:12:44,559 --> 00:12:48,160 Speaker 1: got older, it was acting that call to him, not cooking. 219 00:12:48,640 --> 00:12:52,360 Speaker 1: He played such roles as tweedled dumb in Alice in 220 00:12:52,360 --> 00:12:55,640 Speaker 1: Wonderland and mister Fuzzy Wig in a Christmas Carroll, which 221 00:12:55,679 --> 00:12:57,680 Speaker 1: I always say is probably pretty good casting. 222 00:12:57,800 --> 00:12:58,000 Speaker 2: Yeah. 223 00:12:58,040 --> 00:12:58,640 Speaker 3: Absolutely. 224 00:12:59,160 --> 00:13:02,880 Speaker 1: In nineteen twenty one, Beard was quietly asked to leave 225 00:13:03,320 --> 00:13:07,760 Speaker 1: Portland's Read College because he was gay, or for. 226 00:13:07,920 --> 00:13:10,520 Speaker 2: Having an affair with one of his male professors at 227 00:13:10,520 --> 00:13:13,240 Speaker 2: any rate, though he would say much later that he 228 00:13:13,320 --> 00:13:15,000 Speaker 2: knew he was gay by the time he was seven 229 00:13:15,080 --> 00:13:19,920 Speaker 2: years old, so this wasn't like an experimental phase, right. Yeah. 230 00:13:19,960 --> 00:13:22,240 Speaker 1: When the college yearbook published a few weeks after he 231 00:13:22,320 --> 00:13:24,880 Speaker 1: was kicked out, there was no record of him in it. 232 00:13:25,600 --> 00:13:29,040 Speaker 1: So he packed up took a freighter through the Panama 233 00:13:29,120 --> 00:13:33,200 Speaker 1: Canal to London and a little later Paris to study voice, 234 00:13:33,800 --> 00:13:36,720 Speaker 1: with aspirations of becoming an opera singer. 235 00:13:37,120 --> 00:13:37,400 Speaker 2: Yeah. 236 00:13:37,600 --> 00:13:40,319 Speaker 1: Yeah, and of course he tried a lot of food. 237 00:13:40,920 --> 00:13:43,880 Speaker 1: Of course, when singing didn't work in Europe due to 238 00:13:44,040 --> 00:13:47,520 Speaker 1: a vocal ailment, he set sail for New York City 239 00:13:47,600 --> 00:13:50,720 Speaker 1: to get back into acting. He landed roles such as 240 00:13:50,920 --> 00:13:55,440 Speaker 1: Sirao and Othello at Walter Hampton's Theater. These gigs weren't 241 00:13:55,520 --> 00:13:57,959 Speaker 1: enough for him to live off of, though, and in 242 00:13:58,040 --> 00:14:01,160 Speaker 1: nineteen twenty four he went back to Portland, started working 243 00:14:01,200 --> 00:14:03,280 Speaker 1: as a radio announcer, and became a member of. 244 00:14:03,240 --> 00:14:04,160 Speaker 3: A theater troupe. 245 00:14:04,800 --> 00:14:07,320 Speaker 1: A couple of years later, in nineteen twenty seven, he 246 00:14:07,360 --> 00:14:09,760 Speaker 1: went to Hollywood and he landed some small roles in 247 00:14:09,800 --> 00:14:13,920 Speaker 1: films like Cecil Beatamill's King of Kings. He did some 248 00:14:13,960 --> 00:14:17,160 Speaker 1: food commercials for radio in San Francisco, then bounce back 249 00:14:17,200 --> 00:14:20,680 Speaker 1: to Portland, performing in local theater. Over the next couple 250 00:14:20,720 --> 00:14:23,320 Speaker 1: of years, he tried his hand at all sorts of things, 251 00:14:23,400 --> 00:14:27,280 Speaker 1: acting in Seattle, studying costume design at Pittsburgh's Carnegie Tech. 252 00:14:27,760 --> 00:14:30,720 Speaker 1: Back to Portland in nineteen thirty two. Over the next 253 00:14:30,760 --> 00:14:33,600 Speaker 1: five years, he worked in stage, acted in plays, and 254 00:14:33,680 --> 00:14:36,200 Speaker 1: taught cooking classes, before deciding to head back to New 255 00:14:36,280 --> 00:14:41,280 Speaker 1: York in nineteen thirty seven to become a quote gastronomic jickelo. 256 00:14:42,320 --> 00:14:46,520 Speaker 3: That is an excellent title, and I approve wholeheartedly. 257 00:14:48,320 --> 00:14:50,800 Speaker 1: Somewhere along the line, he started cooking meals backstage for 258 00:14:50,920 --> 00:14:54,160 Speaker 1: cast or for friends at their houses. When it looks 259 00:14:54,200 --> 00:14:56,520 Speaker 1: like acting wasn't going to pan out for a while, 260 00:14:56,680 --> 00:14:58,880 Speaker 1: or at least he needed to make money in the 261 00:14:58,920 --> 00:15:01,920 Speaker 1: meantime and two of his friends, Billy. 262 00:15:02,280 --> 00:15:05,880 Speaker 3: I called him Billy like, we're familiar, but it's Bill. Bill. 263 00:15:06,160 --> 00:15:09,400 Speaker 1: Bill and Irma Road opened a catering business in nineteen 264 00:15:09,440 --> 00:15:12,720 Speaker 1: thirty seven called or derv And. It was quite popular, 265 00:15:12,800 --> 00:15:15,760 Speaker 1: especially among the rich. And I mean, who else is 266 00:15:16,000 --> 00:15:20,840 Speaker 1: getting catering now unless your company? And it was well reviewed. 267 00:15:21,000 --> 00:15:24,240 Speaker 1: The Daily News wrote, the Brierish onion sandwich gives the 268 00:15:24,280 --> 00:15:28,560 Speaker 1: palette its great moment. Oh that was the favorite item 269 00:15:28,600 --> 00:15:29,080 Speaker 1: on the menu. 270 00:15:29,200 --> 00:15:31,040 Speaker 2: Yeah, and that was one of Beard's favorite items. For 271 00:15:31,080 --> 00:15:33,280 Speaker 2: the rest of his life. He would talk much about that, 272 00:15:33,720 --> 00:15:35,040 Speaker 2: that onion ring sandwich. 273 00:15:35,280 --> 00:15:39,680 Speaker 1: Oh, now I want to recreate it. But this finally 274 00:15:39,720 --> 00:15:43,080 Speaker 1: brings us to Beard's cooking career, and we're going to 275 00:15:43,080 --> 00:15:45,920 Speaker 1: get into that, but first a quick break for a 276 00:15:45,920 --> 00:15:57,600 Speaker 1: word from our sponsor, and we're back. 277 00:15:57,640 --> 00:15:59,280 Speaker 3: Thank you sponsor, Yes, thank you. 278 00:16:00,200 --> 00:16:03,840 Speaker 2: So this catering thing was working out pretty well for Beard, 279 00:16:03,960 --> 00:16:07,280 Speaker 2: and based on his experience in it, he published his 280 00:16:07,400 --> 00:16:11,920 Speaker 2: first book, Or derv And Cannape in nineteen forty and 281 00:16:12,280 --> 00:16:15,680 Speaker 2: the stated aim of this book was to eliminate quote 282 00:16:16,080 --> 00:16:20,160 Speaker 2: all the various horrors prevalent on the routine or derv tray, 283 00:16:20,600 --> 00:16:26,680 Speaker 2: including tidbits on toothpicks, coily stuck into a grapefruit, coily 284 00:16:26,720 --> 00:16:30,560 Speaker 2: stuck in there. It was a book promoting that the 285 00:16:30,600 --> 00:16:33,640 Speaker 2: kind of cocktail party at which both the guests have 286 00:16:33,680 --> 00:16:37,360 Speaker 2: a lovely time and the host actually enjoys providing it. 287 00:16:37,840 --> 00:16:41,720 Speaker 2: My goodness, I know how modern. He took with him 288 00:16:42,520 --> 00:16:46,360 Speaker 2: into the concept of it. His experience in theater. He wrote, 289 00:16:46,560 --> 00:16:49,720 Speaker 2: put on a fine show like the theater, Offering food 290 00:16:49,760 --> 00:16:52,720 Speaker 2: and hospitality to people is a matter of showmanship. And 291 00:16:52,760 --> 00:16:55,360 Speaker 2: no matter how simple the performance, unless you do it 292 00:16:55,400 --> 00:16:58,520 Speaker 2: well with love and originality, you have a flop on 293 00:16:58,560 --> 00:16:59,120 Speaker 2: your hands. 294 00:17:00,000 --> 00:17:00,560 Speaker 3: It's a flop. 295 00:17:00,600 --> 00:17:02,840 Speaker 2: No one wants a flop, especially not Oh. 296 00:17:02,680 --> 00:17:04,080 Speaker 3: Wait, no, the producers do. 297 00:17:04,359 --> 00:17:07,840 Speaker 2: Oh that's true. But they're very rare and they're and 298 00:17:07,880 --> 00:17:10,919 Speaker 2: they're not they're not not making souflets. He would publish 299 00:17:10,920 --> 00:17:14,240 Speaker 2: another book, Cook at Outdoors, just a year later, but 300 00:17:14,320 --> 00:17:16,280 Speaker 2: then his life as a chef and writer was put 301 00:17:16,280 --> 00:17:18,320 Speaker 2: on hold for a couple of years. During World War Two, 302 00:17:18,440 --> 00:17:21,879 Speaker 2: he was drafted in nineteen forty two, went to cryptography 303 00:17:21,960 --> 00:17:25,479 Speaker 2: school and then served with the USS. That's the United 304 00:17:25,520 --> 00:17:29,320 Speaker 2: Seaman's Service, which was a newly minted organization that provided 305 00:17:29,359 --> 00:17:34,240 Speaker 2: relief and assistance to seafarers and particularly US armed forces abroad. 306 00:17:34,280 --> 00:17:37,200 Speaker 2: They still do, you know, recreation communication with loved ones, 307 00:17:37,240 --> 00:17:39,280 Speaker 2: tasty food, that sort of thing. 308 00:17:39,400 --> 00:17:43,439 Speaker 1: Yeah, very similar to Julia Child actually exactly Yeah. 309 00:17:43,480 --> 00:17:46,800 Speaker 2: But by nineteen forty four Beard was back to work 310 00:17:46,840 --> 00:17:49,880 Speaker 2: in publishing and another project was on the horizon. 311 00:17:50,080 --> 00:17:54,720 Speaker 3: A project was that Lauren Television, the small. 312 00:17:54,400 --> 00:17:56,800 Speaker 2: Screw, the small screen, Small Screen. 313 00:17:57,000 --> 00:17:57,200 Speaker 3: Yes. 314 00:17:58,080 --> 00:18:02,639 Speaker 2: In nineteen forty six, nbc 's flagship channel WNBT in 315 00:18:02,680 --> 00:18:06,199 Speaker 2: New York City had a really successful culinary segment on 316 00:18:06,200 --> 00:18:09,199 Speaker 2: this daytime variety show, and so the station wanted to 317 00:18:09,240 --> 00:18:13,320 Speaker 2: do a full food show. James Beards I Love to 318 00:18:13,400 --> 00:18:16,560 Speaker 2: Eat premiered on NBC in nineteen forty six. It was 319 00:18:16,560 --> 00:18:21,720 Speaker 2: a show demonstrating recipes, probably the very first network cooking show, 320 00:18:22,160 --> 00:18:26,040 Speaker 2: though some local stations had been broadcasting cooking demonstration shows 321 00:18:26,119 --> 00:18:29,640 Speaker 2: or segments as early as nineteen thirty nine. I Love 322 00:18:29,680 --> 00:18:32,919 Speaker 2: to Eat would run until nineteen forty seven, first fifteen 323 00:18:32,920 --> 00:18:37,240 Speaker 2: minutes per episode, then thirty minutes including live advertisements. Why 324 00:18:37,400 --> 00:18:42,959 Speaker 2: advertising my favorite kind. However, no footage remains because it 325 00:18:43,040 --> 00:18:46,399 Speaker 2: hadn't really occurred to anyone yet that television might be 326 00:18:46,480 --> 00:18:50,320 Speaker 2: saved for posterity, that like anyone would care beyond airing 327 00:18:50,400 --> 00:18:53,280 Speaker 2: in the immediate moment, Although apparently there is at least 328 00:18:53,320 --> 00:18:57,640 Speaker 2: one audio recording of an episode featuring a ski resort luncheon. 329 00:18:58,840 --> 00:19:00,000 Speaker 3: He was at a ski rest. 330 00:19:00,960 --> 00:19:03,879 Speaker 2: I think he talked about going to a ski resort. 331 00:19:04,600 --> 00:19:07,159 Speaker 2: I hope he was there. I mean, I hope he 332 00:19:07,200 --> 00:19:12,879 Speaker 2: went to some lovely Yeah. Sure, a luncheon too. In 333 00:19:13,080 --> 00:19:16,680 Speaker 2: the only second least expected cameo of the episode, the 334 00:19:16,720 --> 00:19:19,679 Speaker 2: show was produced by Patricia Kennedy, who worked on it 335 00:19:20,000 --> 00:19:24,080 Speaker 2: while campaigning for her brother John Kennedy's very first congressional run. 336 00:19:24,400 --> 00:19:26,560 Speaker 3: Wow huh. 337 00:19:27,119 --> 00:19:31,280 Speaker 2: In the actual least expected cameo of the episode, legendary 338 00:19:31,359 --> 00:19:35,280 Speaker 2: special effects artist Dick Smith, whose toxic blood recipe I 339 00:19:35,359 --> 00:19:38,679 Speaker 2: mentioned in our SFX episode, was the makeup artist for 340 00:19:38,720 --> 00:19:39,200 Speaker 2: this show. 341 00:19:40,359 --> 00:19:42,080 Speaker 1: Was there a lot of fake blood involved? 342 00:19:42,280 --> 00:19:45,280 Speaker 2: No, just normal just normal like like screen makeup, you know, 343 00:19:45,320 --> 00:19:47,560 Speaker 2: making someone like all like Matt and if they are 344 00:19:47,720 --> 00:19:53,159 Speaker 2: super bald, like for example, James Beard was drawing. He 345 00:19:54,200 --> 00:19:57,440 Speaker 2: drew some some hair onto the top of Beard's head 346 00:19:57,960 --> 00:19:59,399 Speaker 2: to make it less shiny. 347 00:19:59,480 --> 00:20:03,000 Speaker 1: Under the Oh my goodness, the true special effects. 348 00:20:02,640 --> 00:20:07,240 Speaker 2: Right, yeah, but the show did not last. As dynamic 349 00:20:07,280 --> 00:20:10,280 Speaker 2: and personable as Beard was in real life, he wasn't 350 00:20:10,320 --> 00:20:13,960 Speaker 2: really great on camera. He wud later appear in three 351 00:20:14,000 --> 00:20:17,000 Speaker 2: episodes of The Mike Douglas Show, a daytime variety show 352 00:20:17,040 --> 00:20:20,160 Speaker 2: in the sixties and early seventies, but that was really it. 353 00:20:21,080 --> 00:20:23,399 Speaker 2: Later still, he and Julia Child tried to get a 354 00:20:23,440 --> 00:20:26,960 Speaker 2: show together for the American Bisentennial of nineteen seventy six. 355 00:20:27,200 --> 00:20:30,240 Speaker 2: It was about going to be about pre revolutionary American cooking, 356 00:20:30,800 --> 00:20:32,560 Speaker 2: and I really wish the'd been able to make it happen. 357 00:20:32,560 --> 00:20:35,360 Speaker 2: It sounds fabulous. I think that they wish it had 358 00:20:35,359 --> 00:20:39,480 Speaker 2: happened too. They called themselves now Foam Bob Boo the 359 00:20:39,520 --> 00:20:43,919 Speaker 2: Bearded Child when they hung out together, which is adorable, 360 00:20:44,000 --> 00:20:48,359 Speaker 2: really cute. But at the time, with Paul Child's failing 361 00:20:48,440 --> 00:20:53,040 Speaker 2: health and Beard's lack of camera sparkle, the project was scrapped. 362 00:20:53,440 --> 00:20:54,200 Speaker 3: Oh Man. 363 00:20:54,640 --> 00:20:58,359 Speaker 2: However, the good sales of Beard's books and the boost 364 00:20:58,359 --> 00:21:02,639 Speaker 2: from the TV market just catapulted him to fame within 365 00:21:02,920 --> 00:21:06,240 Speaker 2: the New York City food scene. In the early nineteen fifties, 366 00:21:06,680 --> 00:21:10,280 Speaker 2: he formed this feverish publishing schedule, with new books out 367 00:21:10,480 --> 00:21:13,800 Speaker 2: at least every couple of years, frequently several at a time, 368 00:21:14,160 --> 00:21:17,560 Speaker 2: all in the same year, and the culinary community in 369 00:21:17,600 --> 00:21:20,080 Speaker 2: those early years in New York City is reported to 370 00:21:20,119 --> 00:21:23,320 Speaker 2: have been competitive and kind of strained, but Beard kept 371 00:21:23,320 --> 00:21:26,600 Speaker 2: with it and took on so many side hustles. A 372 00:21:26,760 --> 00:21:29,679 Speaker 2: gig at Sherry Wine and Spirits, where he learned the 373 00:21:29,680 --> 00:21:33,439 Speaker 2: wine industry and wrote for their catalogs, columns for magazines 374 00:21:33,520 --> 00:21:37,240 Speaker 2: and newspapers that would wind up getting nationally syndicated, an 375 00:21:37,280 --> 00:21:41,400 Speaker 2: update of the classic standard Bartender's Guide, and cooking classes, 376 00:21:41,480 --> 00:21:44,320 Speaker 2: more and more cooking classes. He would earn that title 377 00:21:44,359 --> 00:21:46,840 Speaker 2: from The New York Times the Dean of American Cookery 378 00:21:47,119 --> 00:21:51,439 Speaker 2: in nineteen fifty four. In fifty five, he established the 379 00:21:51,520 --> 00:21:54,000 Speaker 2: James Beard Cooking School in New York City and an 380 00:21:54,080 --> 00:21:58,000 Speaker 2: offshoot in Seaside, Oregon, to formalize his consultation and cooking 381 00:21:58,080 --> 00:22:02,080 Speaker 2: instruction businesses. Nineteen fifty nine, he was invited to help 382 00:22:02,119 --> 00:22:05,080 Speaker 2: plan the menu for this new restaurant venture in New 383 00:22:05,160 --> 00:22:08,560 Speaker 2: York City, one that hoped to establish American cuisine as 384 00:22:08,560 --> 00:22:10,960 Speaker 2: something that could be just as fine and fancy as 385 00:22:11,000 --> 00:22:16,879 Speaker 2: classical French. The four Seasons. That the four Seasons. That's 386 00:22:16,960 --> 00:22:22,120 Speaker 2: the four seasons. Heavens to Betsy and yeah, they're playing 387 00:22:22,160 --> 00:22:25,800 Speaker 2: kind of worked. They were fairly successful, I would say so. 388 00:22:25,960 --> 00:22:26,280 Speaker 1: Yeah. 389 00:22:26,640 --> 00:22:29,280 Speaker 2: It was a hot spot of the glamorous for decades. 390 00:22:29,720 --> 00:22:34,840 Speaker 2: Jackie Oasa's called the Cathedral. Whoa, I know, I love it. Yeah, 391 00:22:35,359 --> 00:22:39,119 Speaker 2: And Beard's influence in that success was strong. He would 392 00:22:39,160 --> 00:22:42,600 Speaker 2: purchase a brownstone in the posh and booming Greenwich Village 393 00:22:42,600 --> 00:22:45,560 Speaker 2: area in nineteen sixty which became the seat of his 394 00:22:45,600 --> 00:22:50,000 Speaker 2: culinary empire, host to his classes and these fabulous parties, 395 00:22:50,480 --> 00:22:53,040 Speaker 2: though he would continue to travel offering lectures and classes 396 00:22:53,080 --> 00:22:56,119 Speaker 2: around the world. Nineteen sixty is the same year that 397 00:22:56,119 --> 00:22:59,200 Speaker 2: Beard probably met Julia Child for the first time through 398 00:22:59,280 --> 00:23:01,679 Speaker 2: common connection. He threw this party for her when she 399 00:23:01,760 --> 00:23:04,320 Speaker 2: came back to the United States from Europe, just a 400 00:23:04,400 --> 00:23:08,960 Speaker 2: year before mastering the art of French cooking finally finally published. 401 00:23:09,280 --> 00:23:10,560 Speaker 3: And the rest is history. 402 00:23:11,920 --> 00:23:14,760 Speaker 2: And such was his popularity that in nineteen sixty four 403 00:23:14,840 --> 00:23:19,120 Speaker 2: he would release the first edition of That Delights and Prejudices, 404 00:23:19,400 --> 00:23:20,919 Speaker 2: a memoir with recipes. 405 00:23:22,200 --> 00:23:25,800 Speaker 1: Every memoir should come with recipes, right, Let's just be real. 406 00:23:26,160 --> 00:23:28,480 Speaker 2: Why wouldn't you Oh yeah. 407 00:23:28,600 --> 00:23:31,720 Speaker 1: Now we've got to come up with what are memoirs? 408 00:23:31,760 --> 00:23:33,000 Speaker 1: What recipes they will come with? 409 00:23:33,040 --> 00:23:36,159 Speaker 2: Oh goodness, oh I've got like seventeen just popped my 410 00:23:36,240 --> 00:23:42,359 Speaker 2: head simultaneously. Fantastic, And this is kind of moving towards 411 00:23:42,480 --> 00:23:47,840 Speaker 2: the wind down of Beard's life. In nineteen seventy six, 412 00:23:47,880 --> 00:23:51,880 Speaker 2: he would receive an honorary degree from the aforementioned Read College, 413 00:23:51,920 --> 00:23:54,920 Speaker 2: which seemed to settle the bad blood between them. In 414 00:23:55,000 --> 00:23:58,080 Speaker 2: his final will and testament, Beard instructed that his Greenwich 415 00:23:58,119 --> 00:24:01,440 Speaker 2: home be sold, with the proceeds going to Read College. 416 00:24:01,720 --> 00:24:02,920 Speaker 3: Oh that's nice. 417 00:24:03,240 --> 00:24:06,560 Speaker 2: He had a beloved pug during these years, named Percy. 418 00:24:07,000 --> 00:24:09,760 Speaker 2: Of course he did. Percy the Pug. The pug received 419 00:24:09,800 --> 00:24:16,400 Speaker 2: meals directly from the Greenwich Brownstones, longtime Steward, and Percy 420 00:24:16,440 --> 00:24:18,600 Speaker 2: would sometimes wear a bow tie, just like Beard for 421 00:24:18,640 --> 00:24:19,520 Speaker 2: special occasions. 422 00:24:19,600 --> 00:24:24,280 Speaker 1: Okay, I'm still trying to fit as many children's movies 423 00:24:24,320 --> 00:24:27,560 Speaker 1: into this as I can. I'm pretty sure the dog 424 00:24:27,560 --> 00:24:29,760 Speaker 1: from Pocahontas the pug was. 425 00:24:29,800 --> 00:24:31,159 Speaker 3: Named personally, I think it was. 426 00:24:31,480 --> 00:24:34,760 Speaker 1: I wonder if it was based on this, Oh goodness, 427 00:24:34,800 --> 00:24:37,120 Speaker 1: further research, I don't think it was wearing a bow tie, 428 00:24:37,160 --> 00:24:37,679 Speaker 1: but it did. 429 00:24:37,560 --> 00:24:38,320 Speaker 3: Have a little rough. 430 00:24:38,600 --> 00:24:42,840 Speaker 1: Yeah, he definitely had some kind of fancy perhaps a hat, yes, 431 00:24:44,640 --> 00:24:47,199 Speaker 1: just a show delightful English chapeau. 432 00:24:47,600 --> 00:24:47,800 Speaker 3: Yes. 433 00:24:48,800 --> 00:24:54,640 Speaker 2: Around this time, however, James Beard's health wasn't great. Sort 434 00:24:54,680 --> 00:24:58,159 Speaker 2: of conveniently, Novelle Cuisine was on the rise, having started 435 00:24:58,160 --> 00:25:00,679 Speaker 2: in France as a reaction to the be sauces of 436 00:25:00,720 --> 00:25:06,320 Speaker 2: Hawk cuisine and promoting like lighter, fresher preparations. That plus 437 00:25:06,359 --> 00:25:10,760 Speaker 2: his prescribed diets from doctors, would influence his later recipes. 438 00:25:11,280 --> 00:25:14,800 Speaker 2: He had heart and circulation problems. Apparently when he wound 439 00:25:14,880 --> 00:25:17,840 Speaker 2: up in hospitals, his friends, like the Four Seasons, would 440 00:25:17,840 --> 00:25:20,119 Speaker 2: deliver food to him, and his friends would sneak in 441 00:25:20,200 --> 00:25:23,840 Speaker 2: champagne and Scotch against doctor's orders. As an article on 442 00:25:23,920 --> 00:25:27,280 Speaker 2: The Daily Beast put it understanding that for Beard, to 443 00:25:27,359 --> 00:25:29,720 Speaker 2: live without what he loved was to not live at all. 444 00:25:30,520 --> 00:25:35,439 Speaker 2: Oh yeah, h Beard also struggled with depression, and his 445 00:25:35,560 --> 00:25:39,080 Speaker 2: delight in gossip could turn a little bit macabre, as 446 00:25:39,200 --> 00:25:42,919 Speaker 2: The Washington Post once described it, pitting friends and colleagues 447 00:25:43,200 --> 00:25:46,560 Speaker 2: against one another. And I also I need to put 448 00:25:46,560 --> 00:25:48,399 Speaker 2: in here because I did the research and I cannot 449 00:25:48,400 --> 00:25:52,480 Speaker 2: ignore it. One essay that I read noted secondhand a 450 00:25:52,600 --> 00:25:55,639 Speaker 2: scenario during Beard's later years that I could only describe 451 00:25:55,680 --> 00:25:57,800 Speaker 2: as and if you'll pardon my French and please bleep 452 00:25:57,880 --> 00:26:02,520 Speaker 2: me some harving Einstein, where he made a young aspiring 453 00:26:02,520 --> 00:26:05,680 Speaker 2: pastry chef deeply uncomfortable by exposing himself during what was 454 00:26:05,720 --> 00:26:09,520 Speaker 2: supposed to be a professional conversation. And the description makes 455 00:26:09,560 --> 00:26:11,439 Speaker 2: it sound like it was not the only time that 456 00:26:11,600 --> 00:26:14,320 Speaker 2: kind of thing happened. I read about it in the 457 00:26:14,440 --> 00:26:17,600 Speaker 2: essay America Your Food is So Gay, which is a 458 00:26:17,600 --> 00:26:20,400 Speaker 2: great title for anything, originally published in the now defunct 459 00:26:20,560 --> 00:26:22,879 Speaker 2: Lucky Peach magazine. If you would like to read more 460 00:26:22,880 --> 00:26:25,080 Speaker 2: about it, it's a pretty good essay. They'll be warned 461 00:26:25,119 --> 00:26:28,919 Speaker 2: that the author didn't seem to see this episode is harassment. 462 00:26:28,960 --> 00:26:31,680 Speaker 2: He kind of mentioned it like, oh, that wacky, that 463 00:26:31,680 --> 00:26:38,159 Speaker 2: wacky Beard. Oh he's so hedonistic, right, And you know, 464 00:26:38,359 --> 00:26:39,920 Speaker 2: I'm not going to in any way like excuse or 465 00:26:39,920 --> 00:26:42,959 Speaker 2: part in this behavior. I hope it didn't happen very often. 466 00:26:43,080 --> 00:26:45,680 Speaker 2: And in order to prevent sexual harassment, we all, though 467 00:26:45,680 --> 00:26:48,800 Speaker 2: perhaps especially those of us in positions of social power, 468 00:26:49,080 --> 00:26:51,359 Speaker 2: need to think more and better about consent. 469 00:26:52,240 --> 00:26:55,600 Speaker 3: Absolutely soapbox of the episode. 470 00:26:56,640 --> 00:27:00,320 Speaker 2: Beard also drew criticism from friends and competitors around this 471 00:27:00,400 --> 00:27:05,840 Speaker 2: time for selling out. He had many many lucrative product 472 00:27:05,920 --> 00:27:09,600 Speaker 2: endorsement deals, and lots of his later recipes called for 473 00:27:09,800 --> 00:27:11,879 Speaker 2: ingredients that were in line with that, you know, like 474 00:27:11,920 --> 00:27:14,760 Speaker 2: frozen peas or canned corn, for example, due to his 475 00:27:15,359 --> 00:27:21,040 Speaker 2: affiliation with Green Giant. These and other large corporate endorsements 476 00:27:21,720 --> 00:27:24,400 Speaker 2: must have also, like really not helped with his kind 477 00:27:24,400 --> 00:27:27,480 Speaker 2: of depression and self hatred sort of issues, because you know, 478 00:27:27,720 --> 00:27:30,200 Speaker 2: he was this long time supporter of fresh and local foods, 479 00:27:30,200 --> 00:27:35,159 Speaker 2: and yeah, probably made him feel away. But although Beard 480 00:27:35,200 --> 00:27:37,240 Speaker 2: was troubled during this period of his life, he was 481 00:27:37,280 --> 00:27:40,560 Speaker 2: also doing good. In nineteen eighty one, he helped found 482 00:27:40,600 --> 00:27:43,800 Speaker 2: the charity City Meals on Wheels with New York magazine 483 00:27:43,840 --> 00:27:47,800 Speaker 2: restaurant critic Gail Green, who had realized that meal deliveries 484 00:27:47,800 --> 00:27:51,600 Speaker 2: to homebound folks stopped over holiday weekends in New York. 485 00:27:52,160 --> 00:27:55,560 Speaker 2: They delivered six thousand meals that first year, and the 486 00:27:55,720 --> 00:27:59,520 Speaker 2: organization is still around today, having delivered its fifty millionth 487 00:27:59,720 --> 00:28:01,280 Speaker 2: meal in twenty fourteen. 488 00:28:01,680 --> 00:28:02,160 Speaker 3: Wow. 489 00:28:03,520 --> 00:28:05,600 Speaker 2: Beard would pass away in nineteen eighty five of a 490 00:28:05,640 --> 00:28:08,720 Speaker 2: heart attack at the age of eighty one. He was 491 00:28:08,760 --> 00:28:11,320 Speaker 2: working up until his death. What would be his twenty 492 00:28:11,359 --> 00:28:15,200 Speaker 2: second and final cookbook, Beard on Pasta, was published in 493 00:28:15,240 --> 00:28:17,760 Speaker 2: nineteen eighty three, and at the time of his death 494 00:28:17,760 --> 00:28:21,040 Speaker 2: he was working on a more personal, kind of gossipy memoir. 495 00:28:22,359 --> 00:28:25,000 Speaker 2: His ashes were spread on the coast of Gearhart, Oregon, 496 00:28:25,280 --> 00:28:27,520 Speaker 2: where his family spent summers when he was a child, 497 00:28:27,760 --> 00:28:31,159 Speaker 2: gathering shellfish and berries and cooking their meals with whatever 498 00:28:31,200 --> 00:28:33,679 Speaker 2: the day had brought them. 499 00:28:33,920 --> 00:28:35,280 Speaker 3: Sound lovely, it does. 500 00:28:36,160 --> 00:28:39,000 Speaker 1: He sounds like he was the Stephen King of publishing 501 00:28:39,640 --> 00:28:40,640 Speaker 1: cooking books. 502 00:28:41,120 --> 00:28:43,400 Speaker 2: Oh yeah, he was extremely prolific. 503 00:28:43,920 --> 00:28:47,600 Speaker 1: We still have a little bit more about James Weard. 504 00:28:47,480 --> 00:28:52,200 Speaker 2: Oh yeah, because absolutely his memory has persisted far, far 505 00:28:52,520 --> 00:28:55,120 Speaker 2: beyond the actual man. And we'll get to that after 506 00:28:55,200 --> 00:28:57,000 Speaker 2: one more quick break for a word from. 507 00:28:56,880 --> 00:29:10,080 Speaker 3: Our sponsor, and we're back. Thank you, sponsor, Yes, thank you, 508 00:29:10,600 --> 00:29:14,120 Speaker 3: all right, So let's talk about that oord. Yes. 509 00:29:14,280 --> 00:29:14,800 Speaker 2: Yes. 510 00:29:15,320 --> 00:29:18,280 Speaker 1: In nineteen eighty six, a year after James Beard's death, 511 00:29:18,400 --> 00:29:21,000 Speaker 1: a group of his friends and chefs, led by Peter 512 00:29:21,160 --> 00:29:25,400 Speaker 1: Cump and Julia Child, purchased his town house after successful 513 00:29:25,440 --> 00:29:29,560 Speaker 1: fundraising campaign, and they started the James Beard Foundation with 514 00:29:29,600 --> 00:29:33,400 Speaker 1: this mission statement to provide a center for the culinary arts, 515 00:29:33,400 --> 00:29:36,680 Speaker 1: and to continue to foster the interest James Beard inspired 516 00:29:36,680 --> 00:29:40,280 Speaker 1: in all aspects of food, his preparation, presentation, and of 517 00:29:40,320 --> 00:29:45,240 Speaker 1: course enjoyment. Comp who had started a theater troupe once 518 00:29:45,320 --> 00:29:47,400 Speaker 1: upon a time, set up the space as sort of 519 00:29:47,400 --> 00:29:51,840 Speaker 1: a cooking theater, drawing chefs like Wolfgang Puck. Nowadays, the 520 00:29:51,840 --> 00:29:54,520 Speaker 1: Beard House sees two hundred and fifty events a year. 521 00:29:55,000 --> 00:29:58,080 Speaker 2: Both fledgling and famous chefs from around the country come 522 00:29:58,120 --> 00:30:01,239 Speaker 2: to host these lavish dinners there for like seventy ish 523 00:30:01,280 --> 00:30:05,360 Speaker 2: people at a time. In Beard's own parlor and former bedroom, 524 00:30:05,880 --> 00:30:08,480 Speaker 2: he had a mirror on the ceiling above his bed 525 00:30:08,560 --> 00:30:11,480 Speaker 2: and one table now sits right under it. That doesn't 526 00:30:11,480 --> 00:30:15,640 Speaker 2: surprise me at all somehow, not one bit. The food 527 00:30:15,680 --> 00:30:18,640 Speaker 2: is all cooked in his own apparently cramped and slightly 528 00:30:18,680 --> 00:30:22,160 Speaker 2: ill equipped kitchen, and it's considered something of a rite 529 00:30:22,160 --> 00:30:26,080 Speaker 2: of passage, or at least a useful publicity stunt for 530 00:30:26,200 --> 00:30:27,040 Speaker 2: American chefs. 531 00:30:28,120 --> 00:30:32,080 Speaker 1: Aside from that, the foundation offers scholarships and educational programs. 532 00:30:32,520 --> 00:30:36,040 Speaker 1: To date, three point five million dollars has been awarded 533 00:30:36,160 --> 00:30:39,520 Speaker 1: to culinary students. And I'm sure a lot of you 534 00:30:39,560 --> 00:30:42,920 Speaker 1: have seen the James Beard certification or heard the phrase 535 00:30:43,320 --> 00:30:46,800 Speaker 1: James Bard Award winning restaurant, possibly from me when I'm 536 00:30:46,800 --> 00:30:51,400 Speaker 1: talking about the Atlanta Airport. It has one. The James 537 00:30:51,400 --> 00:30:54,480 Speaker 1: Beard Foundation Awards were first given out in nineteen ninety 538 00:30:54,520 --> 00:30:57,400 Speaker 1: one and they're known as the Oscars of the food world. 539 00:30:57,440 --> 00:31:01,080 Speaker 1: And speaking of oscars, I thought I'd Silence of the 540 00:31:01,160 --> 00:31:03,000 Speaker 1: Lambs one best picture that year. 541 00:31:03,760 --> 00:31:07,240 Speaker 2: So many things about eating and enjoying yourself exactly. 542 00:31:06,800 --> 00:31:10,200 Speaker 1: Right, perfect, It seemed important and also worth noting. More 543 00:31:10,320 --> 00:31:13,240 Speaker 1: relevant is that these awards were first handed out pre 544 00:31:13,360 --> 00:31:16,720 Speaker 1: Celebrity Chef Days and for the most part, pre Internet days, 545 00:31:17,040 --> 00:31:20,160 Speaker 1: so it was a way of recognizing chefs behind the scenes. 546 00:31:20,720 --> 00:31:24,960 Speaker 1: Nominees for the first awards ceremony were alerted via telegram 547 00:31:25,640 --> 00:31:29,040 Speaker 1: and some had not a clue what the Jay's Beard 548 00:31:29,080 --> 00:31:33,560 Speaker 1: Foundation was. These awards got started with the help of 549 00:31:33,560 --> 00:31:37,160 Speaker 1: some funding from two companies we've discussed before on the podcast, 550 00:31:37,760 --> 00:31:42,920 Speaker 1: Joseph E. Segerman's Sons and Champagne Pierre Jouette. For transparency, 551 00:31:42,960 --> 00:31:46,560 Speaker 1: an awards committee was set up independent and separate from 552 00:31:46,560 --> 00:31:50,560 Speaker 1: the Beard Foundation, and each year regional judges are judged 553 00:31:50,840 --> 00:31:54,160 Speaker 1: to make sure they're eligible. They had to demonstrate knowledge 554 00:31:54,160 --> 00:31:56,600 Speaker 1: of the industry and sign affidavits that they didn't have 555 00:31:56,640 --> 00:32:00,360 Speaker 1: any conflicts of interest. Members and staff at the Beard 556 00:32:00,360 --> 00:32:01,800 Speaker 1: Foundation do not vote. 557 00:32:01,920 --> 00:32:02,680 Speaker 3: They aren't allowed to. 558 00:32:02,960 --> 00:32:06,880 Speaker 1: The ceremony has become quite the spectacle. Oh yeah, real, 559 00:32:06,920 --> 00:32:11,040 Speaker 1: big yeah. In two thousand and five, then Foundation president 560 00:32:11,120 --> 00:32:14,680 Speaker 1: Lynn Pickell, I can't believe that's actually his name, had 561 00:32:14,720 --> 00:32:18,400 Speaker 1: to resign due to a criminal investigation, and the awards 562 00:32:18,400 --> 00:32:19,680 Speaker 1: were almost caught off. 563 00:32:19,760 --> 00:32:20,200 Speaker 3: Almost. 564 00:32:20,440 --> 00:32:23,360 Speaker 2: Yeah. There's all kinds of buzz about, like embezzlement and 565 00:32:23,440 --> 00:32:27,240 Speaker 2: weird stuff. It was most of most of the newspaper 566 00:32:27,320 --> 00:32:29,360 Speaker 2: articles I wrote about it were like, James Beard would 567 00:32:29,400 --> 00:32:32,320 Speaker 2: really appreciate all the drama going on about his foundation. 568 00:32:33,520 --> 00:32:35,440 Speaker 3: I bet he would. I bet he would. 569 00:32:35,880 --> 00:32:39,040 Speaker 1: The chair of this year's James Beard Award Committee is 570 00:32:39,080 --> 00:32:41,040 Speaker 1: Atlanta chef and Quatrano. 571 00:32:41,320 --> 00:32:43,600 Speaker 3: By the way, she has a restaurant in this very building. 572 00:32:43,720 --> 00:32:44,160 Speaker 3: Oh yeah. 573 00:32:44,240 --> 00:32:47,680 Speaker 2: They do great work around time, around town, around time 574 00:32:47,880 --> 00:32:52,000 Speaker 2: and town. In twenty eleven, a playwright by the name 575 00:32:52,040 --> 00:32:55,680 Speaker 2: of James Still premiered a one man stage show about 576 00:32:55,760 --> 00:32:58,400 Speaker 2: Beard called I Love to Eat. It's been run on 577 00:32:58,520 --> 00:33:03,160 Speaker 2: various stages, and reviews have tended to not be particularly shining. 578 00:33:03,200 --> 00:33:05,600 Speaker 2: But I am just tickled that Beard finally got to 579 00:33:05,720 --> 00:33:08,680 Speaker 2: return to his first love, the stage. 580 00:33:08,480 --> 00:33:11,880 Speaker 3: And it was called I Love to Eat you know. Yeah. 581 00:33:12,120 --> 00:33:15,560 Speaker 2: In twenty seventeen, PBS released a documentary about Beard called 582 00:33:15,600 --> 00:33:17,160 Speaker 2: America's First Foodie. 583 00:33:17,600 --> 00:33:20,360 Speaker 1: In twenty twenty, the James Beard A Public market will 584 00:33:20,400 --> 00:33:22,000 Speaker 1: open in Portland, Oregon. 585 00:33:22,120 --> 00:33:25,680 Speaker 2: Hypothetically, hopefully. The project has seen a number of difficulties, 586 00:33:25,760 --> 00:33:28,120 Speaker 2: but its mission is to provide the type of year round, 587 00:33:28,560 --> 00:33:32,480 Speaker 2: daily public market of products from local farmers and wineries 588 00:33:32,520 --> 00:33:36,080 Speaker 2: and breweries and restaurants, with permanent vendors and some temporary 589 00:33:36,080 --> 00:33:38,680 Speaker 2: stalls and restaurants and a teaching kitchen. It sounds like 590 00:33:38,680 --> 00:33:43,520 Speaker 2: a really nice thing. It does, and uh, I'm that 591 00:33:43,960 --> 00:33:47,520 Speaker 2: for clemped thing again. And okay, part of it might 592 00:33:47,560 --> 00:33:49,560 Speaker 2: be because I was researching a lot of this, like 593 00:33:49,600 --> 00:33:53,280 Speaker 2: late at night drinking rose from a can. But Beard 594 00:33:53,800 --> 00:33:58,320 Speaker 2: was this amazing and vibrant personality, and really, I think 595 00:33:58,320 --> 00:34:01,360 Speaker 2: the visionary isn't unfair, or you know, at the very least, 596 00:34:01,400 --> 00:34:04,400 Speaker 2: he was just very in tune with the next big 597 00:34:04,400 --> 00:34:07,720 Speaker 2: thing and very savvy about marketing it. A friend of his, 598 00:34:07,960 --> 00:34:12,279 Speaker 2: Joe Baum, described Beard as someone who cooked the way 599 00:34:12,280 --> 00:34:15,560 Speaker 2: he dressed. He would combine plaids, stripes, and prints and 600 00:34:15,640 --> 00:34:19,160 Speaker 2: it worked, and he'd do the same with food, and 601 00:34:19,840 --> 00:34:23,640 Speaker 2: I just I feel like Beard was born fifty years 602 00:34:23,680 --> 00:34:27,839 Speaker 2: too early for himself and yet exactly when America needed him. 603 00:34:28,440 --> 00:34:29,800 Speaker 3: Oh that's lovely, Lauren. 604 00:34:30,000 --> 00:34:30,600 Speaker 2: Well, thank you. 605 00:34:30,680 --> 00:34:32,640 Speaker 3: The Rose and a can served you well. 606 00:34:32,840 --> 00:34:33,240 Speaker 2: Thanks. 607 00:34:35,840 --> 00:34:39,560 Speaker 1: I'm frantically trying to think of one last children's movie 608 00:34:39,560 --> 00:34:43,959 Speaker 1: your reference, but not that many of them feature rose 609 00:34:44,080 --> 00:34:55,160 Speaker 1: and a can, so I don't know why me. And 610 00:34:55,360 --> 00:34:58,240 Speaker 1: that brings us to the end of this classic episode. 611 00:34:58,280 --> 00:35:00,840 Speaker 1: We hope that you enjoyed listen to it, whether it 612 00:35:00,880 --> 00:35:03,720 Speaker 1: was the first time or who knows how many other times, 613 00:35:03,960 --> 00:35:07,920 Speaker 1: as much as we enjoyed it. Yeah, and if you 614 00:35:07,960 --> 00:35:10,200 Speaker 1: have any thoughts about this, we would love to hear 615 00:35:10,239 --> 00:35:10,560 Speaker 1: from you. 616 00:35:10,880 --> 00:35:13,520 Speaker 2: Oh goodness, before we tell you how to do that, 617 00:35:13,560 --> 00:35:16,799 Speaker 2: I did want to give y'all one quick update that 618 00:35:17,120 --> 00:35:20,640 Speaker 2: James Beard Public Market that we mentioned being aimed for 619 00:35:20,719 --> 00:35:23,520 Speaker 2: opening in twenty twenty did not manage to open in 620 00:35:23,560 --> 00:35:27,680 Speaker 2: twenty twenty due to the pandemic, but they do currently 621 00:35:27,760 --> 00:35:31,760 Speaker 2: have an online directory of local food producers called Oregon 622 00:35:31,880 --> 00:35:34,839 Speaker 2: Taste that seems really cool, so check that out if 623 00:35:34,840 --> 00:35:37,320 Speaker 2: you'd like to. If you especially if you're in the area, 624 00:35:37,400 --> 00:35:40,400 Speaker 2: it won't really do much good if you're in for example, Atlanta. 625 00:35:40,600 --> 00:35:45,200 Speaker 2: But yeah, Las Glass a lac Glass and listeners. 626 00:35:45,239 --> 00:35:48,399 Speaker 3: If you have checked it out, Oh yeah, yes, please 627 00:35:48,440 --> 00:35:48,880 Speaker 3: let us know. 628 00:35:49,600 --> 00:35:53,759 Speaker 1: And yes, you can contact us via email if you 629 00:35:53,800 --> 00:35:57,680 Speaker 1: would so desire or is hello at sabrepod dot com. 630 00:35:57,719 --> 00:35:59,880 Speaker 2: Who are also on social media. You can find us 631 00:36:00,080 --> 00:36:03,440 Speaker 2: on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at saver pod and we 632 00:36:03,520 --> 00:36:06,719 Speaker 2: do hope to hear from you. Save is production of iHeartRadio. 633 00:36:06,840 --> 00:36:10,040 Speaker 2: For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, you can visit the iHeartRadio app, 634 00:36:10,200 --> 00:36:13,040 Speaker 2: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. 635 00:36:13,360 --> 00:36:16,080 Speaker 2: Thanks as always to our super producers Dylan Fagan and 636 00:36:16,080 --> 00:36:18,359 Speaker 2: Andrew Howard. Thanks to you for listening, and we hope 637 00:36:18,400 --> 00:36:27,880 Speaker 2: that lots more good things are coming your way.