Kim Cattrall will be one of the celebrity hosts for this year's James Beard Awards. What does Miss Samantha Jones know about food? Well, she is dating a chef (and no it's not Dave Chang). Remember, you don't have to be invited or a part of the industry to go, you just have to buy a $450 ticket. Click on through for the full press release after the jump.
KIM CATTRALL TO HOST THE 2008 JAMES BEARD FOUNDATION AWARDS
New York, NY (April 2, 2008) - The James Beard Foundation announced today that celebrated actress Kim Cattrall will host this year’s Awards Ceremony and Gala Reception. The highly-anticipated annual celebration will take place at Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center on June 8, 2008 and will celebrate winners of the prestigious 2008 James Beard Awards in the Restaurant and Chef, Books, and Design and Graphics categories. A leading figure in the entertainment industry, Kim will shine a new light on the awards and further enhance the Foundation’s mission to elevate the nation’s consciousness of America’s culinary culture. The James Beard Foundation will announce Kim’s co-host at a later date.
Perhaps most well known around the globe as the sultry femme fatale “Samantha,” Kim was a leading force in turning the groundbreaking HBO series, Sex and the City into a global phenomenon. The honesty, spontaneity and onscreen presence she brought to the role established her as one of today’s most memorable characters. She is currently reprising her infamous role in Sex and the City: The Movie, which will be released by New Line Cinema in May 2008. Kim has been highly praised by critics and recognized with a Golden Globe and two Screen Actors Guild awards plus five additional Golden Globes, four Emmy and three Screen Actors’ Guild nominations. She will also be seen this year in John Boorman’s The Tiger’s Tail with Brenden Gleeson for Sony Classics. Beyond the stage and screen, Kim has a known interest in the culinary world which has been enhanced through her boyfriend Alan Wyse, a personal chef.
“We are excited to welcome Kim as one of our hosts at this year’s awards ceremony,” said Susan Ungaro, President of the James Beard Foundation. “The US restaurant world is a $500 billion industry and its impact has been significant to our nation on both a social and economic level. With the rise of celebrity owned restaurants, the increase in food/restaurant themed movies and chefs who have established themselves as celebrities in their own right, restaurants and chefs are an ever increasing presence and significance in pop culture. Kim’s genuine interest in the food and restaurant world will make her a perfect host.”
More than 1,800 top chefs, restaurateurs, industry professionals, media representatives and influencers from all over the world will attend the esteemed event. Individual awards for each category will be announced by VIP’s and prominent figures in the culinary community. Renowned chefs Dan Barber (Blue Hill, Blue Hill at Stone Barns) and Odessa Piper (former Chef-Proprietor of L’Etoile) will serve as Chef Co-Chairs of the 2008 James Beard Foundation Awards reception. This year’s events will celebrate “Artisanal America: The Craft of Cuisine” and honor those artisans and craftsmen who work to provide the finest ingredients to the nation’s top restaurants and chefs.
Established in 1990, the James Beard Foundation Awards recognize culinary professionals for excellence and achievement in their field and, with each year, continues to emphasize the Foundation’s mission: to celebrate, preserve, and nurture America’s culinary heritage and diversity. The annual Media Awards Dinner will take place at the Hudson Theatre on Friday, June 6, 2008 and will be an exclusive event hosted by celebrated writers and cookbook authors, Matt and Ted Lee. The Media Awards honor the nation’s preeminent food journalists and culinary broadcast programs. All award winners receive a certificate and a bronze medallion engraved with the James Beard Foundation Awards insignia.
Tickets for the James Beard Foundation Awards events can be purchased by calling the Awards Box Office at 212.925.0054. For the June 8, 2008 Awards Ceremony and Gala Reception, general public tickets are $450 ($400 for Foundation members, $200 for press). For the June 6, 2008 Media Awards Dinner, tickets are $250.
The James Beard Foundation is dedicated to celebrating, preserving, and nurturing America’s culinary heritage and diversity in order to elevate the appreciation of our culinary excellence. A cookbook author and teacher with an encyclopedic knowledge about food, James Beard, who died in 1985, was a champion of American cuisine. He helped educate and mentor generations of professional chefs and food enthusiasts. Today, the Beard Foundation continues in the same spirit by administering a number of diverse programs that include educational initiatives, food industry awards, scholarships to culinary schools, and publications, and by maintaining the historic James Beard House in New York City’s Greenwich Village as a “performance space” for visiting chefs. For more information, please visit www.jamesbeard.org.
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very interesting indeed. I am an independent filmmaker..my film Monet's Palate with Meryl Streep, Daniel Boulud, Alice Waters, Michel Richard among others is airing this year on PBS. I always though the Beard Awards were just for restaurants. Any thoughts..thanks Aileen Bordman
Posted by: Aileen Bordman | April 05, 2008 at 04:59 PM