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