This summer from May 28 through September 3, in honor of the 25th anniversary of the James Beard Foundation, seven Central Florida restaurants will join together and pay homage to culinary pioneer James Beard by adding a limited-time entrée to their menus, with $1 from each dish sold to benefit the James Beard Foundation’s Silver Anniversary Scholarship Drive, supporting aspiring culinary students in their pursuit of success in the hospitality industry.
Participating restaurants include:
· 4 Rivers Smokehouse
· Cress
· K Restaurant
· Spanish River Grill
· Taverna Opa Orlando
· The Rusty Spoon
· mi Tomatina Paella bar
4 Rivers’ John Rivers will be cooking at the esteemed James Beard House next year, and the chefs of Cress, K and Spanish River Grille all have been nominated for Best Chef of the South for the James Beard Award.
To dine with a cause, look for the Serving Up James Beard logo on the menus of participating restaurants. The dishes will be inspired by Beard’s influence on American cuisine and culture and will be available from Memorial Day through Labor Day.
Restaurant and James Beard Dish
Taverna Opa
Arni Exohiko which is lamb, potatoes, carrots, peas and Manouri cheese all wrapped in phyllo dough and baked in the oven.
K Restaurant
“Duck a la Orange”…. Maple Leaf Farm’s Duck Breast, Fennel Dusted Duck Leg Confit, Duck Fat Potatoes, Orange Scented Marmalade, Candied Orange Peel
4 Rivers Restaurant
Breaded porklet with chipotle aioli, dill & arugula
Cress
Sterling Silver Pork Chop “Creole” / Breast of Grimaud Farms Duck
Spanish River Grill
Living Roots Farm Deviled Duck Egg- crispy, smokey bacon & Tomazin Farm cucumber / Cioppino- local grouper and clams, black mussels, blue crab in tomato broth, grilled bread & orange rouille
Rusty Spoon
A Butcher Board with Rilette, Scotch Eggs and Pate de Campagne…all sourced locally from Lake Meadow Naturals (eggs), Ocoee and Palmetto Creek (pork), Avon Park | Dessert Bread & Butter pudding
mi Tomatina
Pan-roasted duck breast with white wine poached pear and pear glaze
ABOUT THE JAMES BEARD FOUNDATION
Founded in 1986, the James Beard Foundation is dedicated to celebrating, nurturing, and preserving America’s diverse culinary heritage and future. A cookbook author and teacher, James Beard was a champion of American cuisine who helped educate and mentor generations of professional chefs and food enthusiasts. Today the Beard Foundation continues in the same spirit by offering a variety of events and programs designed to educate, inspire, entertain, and foster a deeper understanding of our culinary culture. These programs include educational initiatives, food industry awards, an annual national food conference, Leadership Awards program, culinary scholarships, and publications.
