The James Beard Foundation proudly announced that Carla Hall, Co-Host of ABC’s The Chew, will return to host the 2018 James Beard Foundation Awards. The yearly Awards ceremony and gala will take place on Monday, May 7, 2018, at Lyric Opera of Chicago and will also be aired live exclusively on Twitter for the first time at live.twitter.com/jbfa. On Friday, April 27, 2018, award-winning journalist Tamron Hall will host the annual James Beard Foundation Media Awards. This year’s celebration will take place at Pier Sixty at Chelsea Piers.
“We’re thrilled to have Carla and Tamron represent the Foundation as hosts for the 2018 Awards ceremonies,” said Clare Reichenbach, CEO of the James Beard Foundation. “Each has made an impressive impact on their industries and are role models in their respective fields. We look forward to celebratory and thought-provoking evenings with both, as we embrace this year’s theme, ‘Rise.’”
Carla Hall is a co-host of ABC’s Emmy award winning lifestyle series “The Chew,” where she sits alongside restaurateur and “Iron Chef America” star Michael Symon, and entertaining expert Clinton Kelly. She is best known as a competitor on Bravo’s “Top Chef” and “Top Chef: All Stars,” where she won over audiences with her fun catch phrase, “Hootie Hoo” and her philosophy to always cook with love.
A native of Nashville, Tennessee, Carla attended L’Academie de Cuisine in Maryland, going on to work at the Henley Park Hotel, the State Plaza Hotel, and the Washington Club in in Washington, D.C., and has taught classes at Sur la Table and her alma mater, L’Academie de Cuisine. Carla’s philanthropic passion allows her to devote time to causes close to her heart including working alongside fellow chef and 2018 James Beard Award Humanitarian of the Year Jose Andres’ World Central Kitchen Chef Network, Feeding America, and Women Chefs and Restaurateurs (WCR). She also sits on the advisory committees for the James Beard Foundations’ Women’s Leadership Advisory Committee and is the Culinary Ambassador for Sweet Home Café at the Smithsonian National Museum for African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C.
While not on set as co-host of ABC’s The Chew, Carla continues her commitment to health and balance. Her third and latest cookbook, CARLA HALL’S SOUL FOOD: Everyday and Celebration, will be released October 2018.
Tamron Hall’s signature reporting style has lead her to several notable roles within broadcast journalism since her start as a general assignment reporter at KBTC in Bryan, Texas. She has served as host of “Deadline: Crime with Tamron Hall” on Investigation Discovery since September 2013, where she takes an in-depth look at crimes that have shocked the nation. She was a part of the NBC News team as a co-host of the third hour of NBC News’ TODAY and the anchor of “MSNBC Live with Tamron Hall” for many years. Prior to joining MSNBC in July 2007, Tamron spent 10 years at WFLD in Chicago, where she held several positions including host of the three-hour “Fox News in the Morning” program. In 2015, Tamron received the Edward R. Murrow Award for Reporting: Hard News in Network Television for her segment on domestic violence, as part of TODAY’s “Shine A Light” series. Tamron served as a correspondent for historic moments including the NBC News Special “The Inauguration of Barack Obama,” which won an Emmy for Outstanding Live Coverage in October 2010.
Tamron is passionate about food and culinary charity. When not on air, she is involved in several organizations including Common Threads, an organization that creates comprehensive and impactful nutrition and cooking programs that operates in thirteen cities across the country and has taught over one hundred thousand families what it means to cook for life. She also recently launched the Tamron ❤ Renate Fund with Safe Horizon in honor of her sister to help victims and families affected by domestic violence.
New in 2018, the James Beard Restaurant & Chef Awards will be live streamed exclusively on Twitter. The May 7 Awards will be available for Twitter’s logged-in and logged-out audience and can be viewed at live.twitter.com/jbfa or from @beardfoundation. Coverage will include red carpet interviews, the Awards program, and backstage, insider access with hosts, presenters, winners and Gala attendees. The Twitter broadcast will be co-hosted by television host and food and travel blogger Jaymee Sire; journalist, producer, and red carpet correspondent Alex Hudgens; and cookbook editor, food writer, and host of “The Splendid Table” podcast, Francis Lam.
Winners of the 2018 James Beard Media Awards will be announced at an exclusive event honoring the nation’s top cookbook authors, culinary broadcast producers and hosts, and food journalists at Pier Sixty at Chelsea Piers in New York City on Friday, April 27, 2018.
Winners of the remaining awards will be announced at the James Beard Awards Gala at the Lyric Opera of Chicago on Monday, May 7, 2018. During the event, which is open to the public, awards for the Restaurant and Chef and Restaurant Design categories will be handed out, along with special achievement awards Humanitarian of the Year, Lifetime Achievement, Design Icon, Who’s Who of Food and Beverage in America, and America’s Classics. A gala reception will immediately follow, featuring top chefs and beverage professionals from across the country.
Tickets to the May 7 Awards Gala and the April 27 Media Awards dinner still available for purchase at jamesbeard.org/awards/tickets and through the Awards Box Office 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM EST, Monday through Friday, by calling (914) 231-6180. General public tickets are $500; James Beard Foundation member tickets are $425. Individual tickets for the Media Awards are $350; table for 10, $3,500. VIP ticket options are also available. Please contact the box office for details.
Established in 1990, the James Beard Awards recognize culinary professionals for excellence and achievement in their fields and furthers the Foundation’s mission to celebrate, nurture, and honor chefs and other leaders making America’s food culture more delicious, diverse, and sustainable for everyone. Each award category has an individual committee made up of industry professionals who volunteer their time to oversee the policies, procedures, and selection of judges for their respective Awards program. All JBF Award winners receive a certificate and a medallion engraved with the James Beard Foundation Awards insignia. There are no cash prizes.
The 2018 James Beard Foundation Awards are proudly hosted by Choose Chicago and the Illinois Restaurant Association and presented in association with Chicago O’Hare and Midway International Airports as well as the following partners: Premier Sponsors: All-Clad Metalcrafters, American Airlines, HMSHost, Illinois Office of Tourism, Lavazza, S.Pellegrino® Sparkling Natural Mineral Water, TABASCO® Sauce, Woodford Reserve Bourbon; Supporting Sponsors: Breville®, Corporate Essentials, Hyatt, National Restaurant Association™, Robert Mondavi Winery, Skuna Bay Salmon, Taylor Precision Products, Valrhona, Windstar Cruises; Gala Reception Sponsors: Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, Ecolab, Front of the House®, Kendall College; with additional support from: Chefwear, Emmi Roth, Loacker, and VerTerra Dinnerware.
About the James Beard Foundation (JBF)
Founded in 1986, the James Beard Foundation celebrates, nurtures, and honors chefs and other leaders making America’s food culture more delicious, diverse, and sustainable for everyone. A cookbook author and teacher with an encyclopedic knowledge about food, the late James Beard was a champion of American cuisine. He helped educate and mentor generations of professional chefs and food enthusiasts, instilling in them the value of wholesome, healthful, and delicious food. Today JBF continues in the same spirit by administering a number of diverse programs that include educational initiatives, food industry awards, scholarships for culinary students, publications, chef advocacy training, and thought-leader convening. The Foundation also maintains the historic James Beard House in New York City’s Greenwich Village as a “performance space” for visiting chefs.
For more information, please visit jamesbeard.org. Get food news, recipes, and more at the James Beard Foundation’s blog, or subscribe to the free digital newsletter Beard Bites. Follow @beardfoundation on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and Snapchat. Watch the James Beard House Kitchen Cam, James Beard Awards, and more on the Foundation’s Livestream channel. Find more JBF-related video on the Foundation’s YouTube channels.
