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James Beard Foundation's 'Taste of America' in Seattle
The James Beard Foundation's "Taste of America" event happened in Seattle on Sunday night.
SEATTLE - The James Beard Foundation brought its national Taste America culinary tour to the Four Seasons Hotel Seattle on Sunday so food lovers could celebrate local chefs and beverage producers as well as shine a spotlight on the city's independent restaurant community.
"It's a hard time to have an independent restaurant in this country," said Anne McBride, vice president of impact for the James Beard Foundation. "The cost of absolutely everything have gone up from ingredients, to energy, to insurance, credit card fees, you name it, it has gone up, so it's challenging for restaurants and that's why it's more important than ever to support them and to go out to dinner as often as we possibly can."
The backstory:
The nationwide initiative spans 20 markets across the United States. The series highlights local culinary talent while advocating for small dining businesses navigating a challenging economy for restaurants.
The Seattle stop featured a walk-around tasting with food stations helmed by notable area chefs, including Tom Douglas and Ethan Stowell. One of the foundation's TasteTwenty cohort of chefs to watch, Jhonny Reyes of Lenox in Seattle, was also at the event.
James Beard Foundation Taste America event in Seattle.
Among the local purveyors featured was Kyu Han, executive chef at Sugo Hand Roll Bar, who brings more than three decades of experience as a sushi chef.
Han highlighted traditional Japanese curing techniques at his station, serving dishes prepared using kasuzuke—a marinade of miso and sake lees—as the restaurant continues to grow locally, a notable positive in the current business climate.
What they're saying:
"We just opened the Lynnwood location," Han said. "We're expanding the Woodinville location. We're expanding all locations in Seattle right now."
This year marked the fifth consecutive time the Four Seasons Hotel Seattle hosted the tasting, which sold out all available tickets three weeks in advance.
"It's great to see it evolve and change including different restaurants around the city, being able to include different wineries and different food and beverage locations throughout Washington," said Mark Hicks with the hotel. "It's great to see the community come together."
Local perspective:
He also emphasized the value of gathering diverse regional culinary talent under one roof, noting that the event has steadily expanded its lineup of Washington wineries and food purveyors.
McBride noted that evolving diner behavior also drives restaurateurs to elevate guest engagement. With patrons paying closer attention to where they spend money, establishments are focusing on transparency, values, and memorable service.
"If there's a place you love and you want to still be going there and celebrating your anniversaries, your birthdays in 10 years, go today, don't wait," McBride said.
The Source: Information in this story came from a James Beard Foundation event announcement, statements provided by participants at the Four Seasons Hotel Seattle and original reporting by FOX 13 Seattle.
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