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Philadelphia and Atlantic City chefs have been nominated for James Beard Foundation Awards

HOLLYWOOD has the Oscars, the music world its Grammys and for TV the Emmys set the highest bar. But for chefs, restaurant owners, cookbook authors, food writers, broadcasters and photographers, the big night is the James Beard Foundation Awards presentation, taking place this year on Monday at Lincoln Center's Avery Hall in New York.

James Beard (1903-1985): A mountain of a man at 6 foot 3 inches, 300 pounds.
James Beard (1903-1985): A mountain of a man at 6 foot 3 inches, 300 pounds.Read more

HOLLYWOOD has the Oscars, the music world its Grammys and for TV the Emmys set the highest bar. But for chefs, restaurant owners, cookbook authors, food writers, broadcasters and photographers, the big night is the James Beard Foundation Awards presentation, taking place this year on Monday at Lincoln Center's Avery Hall in New York.

There, an assemblage of culinary glitterati and rising stars — including Philly's own nominees Marc Vetri, of Vetri, and Zahav's Michael Solomonov — hope to receive the coveted medal during the 2011 awards.

"Everyone who is anyone in the industry is in New York for awards weekend," said Tina Breslow, a local public-relations professional who sits on the Beard Foundation board. "There's an electricity in the air the night of the ceremony just like at the Emmys or the Academy Awards."

Solomonov, who has cooked at the James Beard House three times, described the James Beard award as "one of the greatest honors you can have as an American chef. It gives credibility and validation to everything you've been working for as a chef and restaurant owner."

While devoted foodies have turned chefs, bakers and even farmers into celebrities, for the average eater all this hoopla is a bit mind-numbing.

For starters, who was James Beard, anyway?

James Beard, the man

Considered the dean of true American cookery, Beard was larger than life in more ways than one. "In the beginning," his friend and colleague Julia Child once pronounced, "there was Beard."

A mountain of a man, he stood 6 foot 3 inches and tipped the scale at 300 pounds, imposing by any standards. His quirks are legendary: A bit of an exhibitionist, Beard had a mirror over the bed in his bedroom (it's still there), and he often talked about cooking in the nude. The fact that he was gay was an accepted aspect of his enduring charm. His reputation as a teacher, a mentor, a champion of simple cuisine and fresh regional fare is what makes Beard such a seminal figure in American cuisine.

"He was such a warm, encouraging person," recalled Bob Marcelli, a Montclair, N.J.-based chef turned artisanal cheese broker, who studied with Beard in New York. "He was daunting absolutely, but very approachable." Beard was instrumental in getting Marcelli an apprenticeship with noted chef/restaurateur Larry Forgione, a job that turned the tide of his career. Said Marcelli: "I owe him a lot."

Marcelli's imported Abruzzese Pecorino was part of South Philly restaurant Le Virtu's dinner menu at the James Beard House last month.

Beard's style was never fussy, and he took obvious delight in celebrating humble ingredients without a lot of frippery. His description of a flank-steak sandwich says it all: "The bread must be crisp, the meat rare, the seasonings zippy." Beard advocated farmers and ethnic markets before they were trendy. "It is my dream to see the continent spanned, from coast to coast, with markets like this," he once declared.

As to the nuts and bolts, he wrote 22 cookbooks, including Hors D'Ouevre and Canapés, the first book dedicated just to appetizers. He was also the first to get the average Joe involved in grilling and outdoor cooking, a tradition that many a grillmeister proudly upholds. Beard hosted the country's first televised cooking show, predating Julia Child's show "The French Chef" by 15 years.

At a time when French cuisine was the end-all, Beard lauded American cookery as a melting pot every bit as diverse as the country's population. The original omnivore, he was delighted by all kinds of food and taught thousands of cooking students to feel the same.

A native of Portland, Ore., Beard divided his time, living and teaching, between New York and his native state. He died at 81 in 1985, but his legacy as a champion of honest American flavors lives on.

James Beard, the place

It would be easy to walk right by the James Beard House, an unassuming brownstone at 167 W. 12th St., in Greenwich Village. But inside, down a few steps, is a place of culinary wonder - the home and classroom to the great American chef.

When he died, a group of his friends, led by Child, raised the money to purchase the house from his estate and establish a nonprofit foundation in his name to promote fine American cuisine. The James Beard House opened in 1986 and now hosts about 200 events every year - dinners for which members pay $130 (nonmembers, $170), inclusive of beverages and gratuity. It's a great deal really, since every chef in the kitchen is intent on wowing diners with the best of the best.

To say it's an honor for a chef to strut his or her stuff from Beard's own small kitchen, complete with his original copper pots and u-shaped butcher block, is an understatement.

"It was an emotional moment for me when they asked," said Le Virtu chef Joe Cicala, 28. "It wasn't something I expected this early in my career." Cicala and a team of five prepared a knockout six-course Abruzzese feast for 60 on April 21, the thrill of his career to date.

Each week, Izabela Wojcik, director of House programming, puts together dinners involving great chefs from across the nation and around the world. Perusing the events calendar on the Website (www.jamesbeard.org) showcases a wide range of talent, from small, chef-owned restaurants in out-of-the-way spots to big players.

"It's Carnegie Hall for chefs," said New Orleans Marriott executive chef Mark Quitney, who has cooked there twice. "Really an incredible honor."

Manayunk chef and restaurant owner Moon Krapugthong prepared a "Songkran Thai New Year's Preview" dinner at the House April 4. "I felt right at home in that small kitchen," she said. "You turn around and what you need is right there."

Like many chefs who have cooked in Beard's kitchen, Krapugthong felt the big man's presence. "I felt his spirit," she said. "We were all so nervous when we got started that morning, that we decided to meditate together to get focused. We thanked James Beard for the opportunity, and it calmed us down."

There is something magical about munching on appetizers in Beard's kitchen and sipping cocktails in the greenhouse room and garden before heading upstairs for dinner. Underneath Beard's smiling portrait the walls are lined with his personal collection of cookbooks. A signed chef's coat invites closer perusal. It all feels very personal, an homage to a true giant of American cuisine.

"There's typically months of preparation involved with planning a dinner there," said Walter Staib, City Tavern chef/proprietor and host of the PBS series "A Taste of History," who cooked for the third time at the James Beard House on Tuesday. "There's something about being in his home that gives me goose bumps."

Staib and his team prepared a multicourse ode to "Black Forest Cuisine" Tuesday night, complete with cocktails and wine pairings.

"I get invited to cook in festivals in Paris, the Ukraine - nothing is like being invited to show what you've got" at Beard House, Staib said. "Even an old guy likes me gets excited."