For the first time since 2019, the James Beard Foundation, a nationally recognized culinary institution, returns to Tampa Bay.
Sunday October 29 at the Hyde Park restaurant at Willa’s (1700 W Fig St.) will host the foundation’s Beard by the Bay Dinner, a culmination of top local chefs, mixologists and sommeliers who will raise funds for the nonprofit’s food-focused mission. “contribute to the development of the next generation of great American chefs.
Local chefs contributing to this month’s charity dinner include Ferrell Alvarez of Rooster & the Till (who was a James Beard semifinalist in 2017), Wesley Roderick, owner of Supernatural Food & Wine, BT Nguyen of the restaurant BT, head director of the three Michelin Star Restaurants in Tampa (Rocca, Koya and Lilac) and Gabe Lopez of host restaurant Willa’s, alongside Pinellas-based chefs like Rob Reinsmith of Wild Child, David Benstock of IL Ritorno and James Renew of Little Lamb Gastropub in Clearwater.
The full list of participating chefs and restaurateurs is available on barbeparthebay.com.
Select restaurants will also feature their bartenders and mixologists to complement the event’s multi-course tasting dinner.
Tickets for this year’s Beard by the Bay will cost around $1,000 each, with tables of 4 and 6 costing $4,000 and $6,000, respectively. Each guest will have access to the 6-course tasting dinner, premium wines, cocktails and NA pairings. A table of 8 costs $7,500 and the largest and most expensive option is the “Chef’s Table”, which seats 14 people in a private room for a whopping $20,000.
RSBP Events+PR, the organizers of this event, informs Creative Loafing Tampa Bay that there are a limited number of tables for purchase.
The theme of this year’s event is ‘disco supper club’, so guests can expect the elegant Hyde Park restaurant to be transformed into a groovy, vintage-inspired lounge.
“The event promises an unparalleled dining experience, with carefully curated menus that reflect the diversity and creativity of the Tampa Bay area culinary scene,” says James Beard President and COO Kris Moon. Foundation, in a press release. “From the exquisitely prepared dishes to the expertly crafted cocktails and selection of paired wines, every element of the evening is designed to be an intimate, immersive experience.”
Separate from the James Beard Awards which celebrate the nation’s most innovative people in the restaurant industry, the James Beard Foundation is a nonprofit organization that “celebrates, supports and elevates the people behind American food culture and champions a standard of good food rooted in talent, fairness and sustainability.”
A portion of this month’s Beard by the Bay proceeds will benefit the James Beard Foundation through Bespoke Collaborative Charities, a Tampa-based organization affiliated with local clothing brand Bespoke & Co.
For more information on this year’s Beard by the Bay, head to his Instagram at @beardbythebaywhere event-specific food and drinks will be announced soon.
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