Real Baking with Rose Levy Beranbaum

A Bird's Eye View

Every year I say this is the last time I’m covering the awards and every year I’m drawn back again to this smorgasbord/kaleidoscope Oscars of the food world. And collide is the operative word. Imagine first sitting for three hours through the award ceremony until you’re absolutely starving, and then eating your way through little plates of mostly delicious food offered by some of your favorite chefs elbow to elbow with some of your favorite friends and colleagues and hoards of people caught up in a feeding frenzy, not noticing if they’ve stepped on your foot, banged their shoulder bag into your side, or spilled your food or drink all over you.

The most painful part is not being able to finish a single conversation before being interrupted by another favorite person you never get to see during the rest of the year. Talk about too much of a good thing.

The award ceremony was beautifully orchestrated so that really I didn’t mind sitting for 3 hours. Kim Cattrall and Bobby Flay were wonderful co-hosts. I’ve known Bobby for many years and have loved his food at Mesa Grill and his generosity sending out delicious little extras whenever he knew I was there. Kim was an unusual but perfect choice as co-host because she bridged the gap between professional chef and this year’s theme “Artisanal America” and the perennial underlying theme of pleasure. So of course there was a cute flirtation between the two of them not to mention a slew of suggestive innuendoes that kept everyone awake. It reminded me of a few years ago when going to a new physician for an annual checkup and his asking me the routing question: “what is your profession?” My answer—it just popped out—was “I’m in the pleasure giving business.” He raised his eyebrows—perhaps in no small part because he is a colleague of my husband’s and was not expecting such a response from his wife. But I think the reason I expressed it that way was because Elliott told me he is a great appreciator of wine so I thought he would understand. When I explained he did indeed.

You can see all the award winners on the site: www.jamesbeardfoundation.com
so I won’t list all the winners but I would like to highlight two of my favorites: Paula Wolfort gave a most delightful and heartfelt acceptance speech when her first book Paula Wolfert’s Couscous and Other Good Food from Morocco was inducted into the Cookbook Hall of Fame. Paula was one of my greatest inspirations at the beginning of my writing career and she remains one of my favorite people. It was a special delight to meet her lovely daughter Leila for the first time.

Terry Theise, perhaps my most articulate and cleverest of friends for the past 12 years and in good part responsible for my passion for Riesling, especially German Riesling, won the Outstanding Wine and Spirits Professional Award. Coincidentally, his wife Odessa Piper, a great supporter of sustainable agriculture and artisanal producers, and also a Beard Award Winner, served as co-chair of the Awards Gala Reception.
There were 32 chefs represented and I tasted perhaps 30 of the dishes. Sadly, I only had the opportunity to photograph one as the hungry surging crowds soon made it impossible to pause to frame a shot, but fortunately it was my favorite of all the things tasted—Melissa Kelly’s squash blossoms stuffed with handmade sheep’s milk ricotta.

I also adored Nora Pouillon’s incredibly creamy and flavorful rhubarb gelato and Scott Peacock’s amazingly exquisite strawberry preserves. Alexandra Guarnaschelli’s little pastry discs of sweet/savory salt-cured local foie gras with warm strawberry-black pepper jam and arugula were brilliantly original and meltingly delicious. I’ve known her since she was in high school and I’m so proud of what a great chef she has become.

It’s not easy to balance plates and forks and handbags amidst people’s elbows but I did manage to have an excellent glass of Phelps Pinot—one of my favorite producers.

Maybe I’ll have to return next year after all. But I’ll be sure to wear a waterproof outfit with spurs on the sides and maybe on the back as well. And now I’d better leave or I’ll miss my plane to Minnesota!