Photo: James Beard Foundation
The James Beard Foundation announced today that it is unlikely to nominate chef or restaurant award winners by 2020. Instead, the foundation announced in a press release this morning that it will use the Sept. 25 ceremony to “celebrate previously announced honors, nominees and shed some light on the path ahead for the sector.”
In a normal year, the sector would have gathered in Chicago to crown a new crop of JBF best-in-category winners from the previously announced group of finalists. But, as the foundation has noted, this is not a normal year.
“The choice comes as restaurants continue to suffer from the devastating negative effects of COVID-19, and because substantial and sustained growth in the community has created an environment in which the foundation believes that the mission of Awards will not do much to sector in their current uphill Battle, ‘the group wrote on its official website. “The usual positive impact of the Awards on restaurant and chef businesses is unlikely to be fully realized due to the current state of the sector, with many restaurants permanently or temporarily closed or operating with minimal capacity. These factors helped inform the decision not to award a winner in a time of such unrest. “
It is a decision appropriate for the moment. There’s only so long as you can continue on cocktails on the deck of the Titanic before it becomes strange.
The foundation also announced plans for a radical renewal of its 2021 awards, which would normally be based on work done this year. But this year has been a non-stop parade of destruction, and to evaluate restaurants based on normal Beard-matching criteria would be “unfair and wrong,” the fundamental reasons. “Instead, the ceremony in 2021 will be a celebration of the independent restaurant community that has taken the lead during this crisis and honors those who have made a significant impact on the industry and in their communities.”
When the James Beard Awards return to their regularly scheduled programming – the foundation “looks forward to returning to the Awards when the sector is ready for them again” – new and more equitable criteria will be used. The foundation is in the process of “conducting a comprehensive internal and external review to address each bias and align the Awards with the foundation’s mission to promote sustainability, equity, and diversity in the restaurant sector,” he said. release. What this actually means is TBD, but it will involve the JBF “recording how the Awards are managed, communicated and presented.”
If this were your year to win, the cancellation could be a bummer. On the other hand, what about this year so far is no bummer?
