Want Your Favorite Restaurant to Win a James Beard?
The first round of voting is crowd sourced -- and it's open now
Everyone has their favorite restaurant — a place that has delicious food, passionate chefs, and a welcoming atmosphere.
While we all have varied tastes (and might not agree on what that favored restaurant is), the one thing we have in common is that when we hold a restaurant dear, we want it to thrive.
Social media and crowdsourcing have proven valuable tools in helping people share their favorite eateries. But there is one additional way to help your favorite restaurant get onto the culinary world map, and it takes only a few minutes of your time.
Each Spring, the James Beard Foundation awards restaurants and chefs for culinary excellence. Voting is conducted by a group of judges chosen for their expertise in their fields, much like the Academy Awards. The first step in winning a Beard, however, is through an open call where anyone can submit their favorite restaurants, chefs, and culinary authors.
The open call happens each year in October and runs through November 29, at 11:59 p.m. Anyone can submit a chef or restaurant during the open call, and there is no entry fee (there is an $85 entry fee for media awards).
There are some basic eligibility requirements such as establishments must serve food and be open to the public. Food trucks and pop-ups can be nominated, but must serve the public at least twice and month. Nominated chefs must actively be making and serving food or beverages to the public.
The open call submissions are the first step in the lengthy process of winning a Beard. Founded in 1990 by the James Beard Foundation, the Beard Awards are considered the “Oscars” of culinary achievement. And, like the “Oscars”, there’s been a recent revamping that strives for more inclusivity.
Winning a Beard Award has been proven to “move the needle” for restaurants and chefs in these trying times. A Beard win can fill seats, garner local and national press, and even help an entrepreneurial restaurateur secure funding for a new endeavor.
Savvy restaurateurs (or fans of a particular chef or restaurateur) can take the open call opportunity to crowdsource votes for their establishments (which is totally within the scope of the open call) by letting their followers know on social media or in person that voting is open — and free.
The James Beard Foundation even produced a handy-dandy video that walks you through the process.
To help jumpstart your favorite chefs and restaurants on their journey to a Beard, visit jamesbeard.org.
Speaking of winning, if you love burgers, you can sample more than 25 of the country’s best burgers — and vote for your favorite at the New York City Wine & Food Festival’s Burger Bash on Friday, October 18 at Invesco QQQ Festival Campus at Brooklyn Army Terminal. Tickets start at $188.23 but Broken Palate readers will receive a 25 percent discount when they use code Burger25 at checkout. Visit NYCWFF.org for a full roster of events and to purchase tickets.