In America, the James Beard Foundation is pretty much the last word in cuisine. So the fact that they have chosen The Forge to kick off their Third Annual Taste America “Local Flavor from Coast to Coast” tour is a pretty big deal. The tour will hit ten American cities this autumn. The first stop is on September 18th, for a dinner at the Forge called A Night of Culinary Stars. The dinner will commence with a reception with an assortment of cocktails and hors d’oeuvres from local chefs including Timon Balloo from SUGARCANE raw bar grill, Cindy Hutson of Ortanique on the Mile and Zest), Bradley Kilgore of Alte, Eating House’s Giorgio Rapicavoli, who will be representing Glass & Vine, and Cesar Zapata (The Federal Food, Drink & Provisions.
After cocktail time, dinner will be prepared by not one, but two James Beard Award-Winning Chefs, Taste America All-Star Rocco DiSpirito and New York and Miami culinary star, Christopher Lee of The Forge, along with Pubbelly Restaurant Group’s Pastry Chef, Sergio Navarro. The trio will create a memorable dinner well worth the price of admission.
The following day, an in-store event will take place at Boca’s Sur La Table at Mizner Park, which will include a cooking demo by DiSpirito, book signings, tastings of local artisanal products and more. Similar culinary outings will then take place in Charlston, SC, Phoenix, Minneapolis, Seattle, Boston, New Orleans, Chicago, San Francisco, finishing up in Los Angeles with All-Star Hugh Acheson at The Ebell of Los Angeles. Buy tickets here.
A few dates have cities activated simultaneously on the same night so check the schedule to see dates and which of your favorite James Beard chefs are cooking when.