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This year marks the seventeenth annual Friends of James Beard Foundation dinner at The American Restaurant in Kansas City, the longest-running fundraising dinner for the foundation in the country. Over the past decade and a half, this event has brought some of America’s most respected chefs to my hometown to raise money for the James Beard Foundation (I’ve included a list of the chefs who have come to cook at The American Restaurant since I became involved with this event at the end of this post).
For the sixth year, I have been asked by the hosting chef – now, Michael Corvino – to help invite the guest chefs and organize the dinner. Having just finalized this year’s guest chefs list, I am pleased to share it with you now and to announce that this year’s Friends of James Beard Foundation dinner at The American Restaurant will take place on Monday, September 28, 2015. Please save the date.
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This year, each of the following chefs will present one course, paired with wine, at this year’s Friends of James Beard Foundation dinner at The American Restaurant. I hope to see you there. (Please call 816-545-8001 to make your reservation. Dinner is $195 per person, all-inclusive.)
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NATE APPLEMAN
MICHAEL CORVINO
(The American Restaurant; Kansas City, Missouri)CHRISTOPHER HAATUFT
(Lysverket; Bergen, Norway)MOURAD LAHLOU
(Mourad and Aziza; San Francisco, California)NICK MUNCY
(Coi; San Francisco, California)JUSTIN YU
(Oxheart; Houston, Texas)~
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The chefs from the past four Friends of James Beard Foundation dinners at The American Restaurant (below) are listed with the restaurants where they were cooking at the time they came to Kansas City; a few of them have moved on to different restaurants since.
2014
Michael Corvino (The American Restaurant; Kansas City, Missouri)
Colby Garrelts (Bluestem and Rye; Kansas City, Missouri)
Brooks Headley (Del Posto; New York, New York)
Matthew McCallister (FT33; Dallas, Texas)
Anthony Sasso (Casa Mono; New York, New York)
Michael Tusk (Quince and Cotogna; San Francisco, California)
Justin Woodward (Castagna; Portland, Oregon)
(You can view the photos from Friends of James Beard Foundation Dinner 2014 here.)
2013
Antonio Bachour (St. Regis Bal Harbor; Bal Harbor, Florida)
Justin Cogley (Aubergine; Carmel, California)
Michael Corvino (The American Restaurant; Kansas City, Missouri)
Bruno Davaillon (The Mansion on Turtle Creek; Dallas, Texas)
James Syhabout (Commis; Oakland, California)
Bryan Voltaggio (VOLT and Aggio; in Fredricksburg, Maryland and Bethesda, Maryland)
(You can view the photos from the Friends of James Beard Foundation Dinner 2013 here.)
2012
Michael Cimarusti (Providence; Los Angeles, California)
Michael Ginor (Hudson Valley Foie Gras on Long Island, New York)
Debbie Gold (The American Restaurant; Kansas City, Missouri)
Paul Qui (Qui; Austin, Texas)
Joshua Skenes (Saison; San Francisco, California)
Nick Wesemann (The American Restaurant; Kansas City, Missouri)
(You can read about the Friends of James Beard Foundation Dinner 2012 here.)
2011
Scott Anderson (Elements; Princeton, New Jersey)
Marc Aumont (The Modern; New York, New York)
Curtis Duffy (Grace; Chicago, Illinois)
George Mendes (Aldea; New York, New York)
Christopher Kostow (Restaurant at Meadowood; St. Helena, California)
John Shields (Townhouse; Chilhowie, Virginia)
(You can read about the Friends of James Beard Foundation Dinner 2011 here.)
Photos: Anthony Sasso and Justin Woodward after service at the 2014 Friends of James Beard Foundation dinner at The American Restaurant; Michael Corvino and Andy McCormick plating at the 2014 Friends of James Beard Foundation dinner at The American Restaurant; Colby Garrelts, Anthony Sasso, Nick Wesemann, Michael Tusk, Brooks Headley, Justin Woodward, Michael Corvino, and Matthew McCallister, the guest chefs for the 2014 Friends of James Beard Foundation dinner at The American Restaurant.