JAMES BEARD

The Father of Modern American Cookery

Now that the James Beard Foundation is asking again for suggestion of next year’s nominations, I poured myself a glass of champagne and thought of James Beard.

Jim was not as large as his hero, the mountainous Fernand Point, but his bald head, height well over six feet, baby blue linen suit and pink scarf, and gold wire filigree bracelet around his huge wrist fluttering over a bowl of pot-au-feu as he exclaimed in booming voice, “EXQUISITE!” all made him stand out in a crowd. 

He was instantly recognizable, and he liked that.