In a press release on Wednesday, October 8, the James Beard Foundation announced the featured chefs, cities, and programming for its annual Taste America event. Of those 20 chefs, Nashville's own Julia Sullivan from Henrietta Red will represent the city in this year's event.
The 2020 Taste America event presented by Capital One will take place on Sunday, October 18 in 20 cities nationwide at 7 p.m. CST. In lieu of the usual in-person event, participating chefs, special guests, and diners will come together for a virtual communal dinner to eat, celebrate local independent restaurants, and support efforts to rebuild the food and beverage industry. The virtual dinner will bring together thousands of chefs and food lovers for one special night.
Emily Dorio
Chef Julia Sullivan
Each event ticket includes a local chef-created three-course meal and wine and whiskey to be enjoyed at home. Participants will also gain access to a broadcast featuring a lineup of James Beard Foundation chefs and special guests from across the country. Joining Sullivan are 19 other notable chefs including Chicago's Carlos Gaytán, Seattle's Jason Wilson, and Miami's Niven Patel. Special guests will also include Carla Hall, Gail Simmons, and DJ Hesta Prynn who will curate music throughout the event.
Through its Open for Good campaign, the James Beard Foundation is working to help the independent restaurant industry survive the COVID-19 pandemic and come back stronger, more equitable, and more resilient than ever before.
Locally curated menus for each city can be viewed here. For more information about Taste America and to purchase tickets, visit jamesbeard.org/events.