James Beard Foundation's Taste America Tour Kicks Off In Phoenix

The James Beard Foundation kicks off its fourth annual Taste America tour Sept. 22 in Phoenix. The foundation will be traveling to 10 cities across the country to host one-of-a-kind fundraising dinners highlighting local cuisine and headlined by a visiting all-star chef and local star chef, as well as cooking demos, artisanal tastings, and book signings.

The Welcome Reception will take place 6 p.m. next Thursday, with cocktails and bites at Little Cleo's Seafood Legend at The Yard. Friday is the main event at The Camby — the exclusive dinner benefiting the James Beard Foundation. Enjoy cocktails and bites during the reception hour at 7 p.m., but save room for the dinner, which will feature a menu crafted by all-star chef and James Beard Award winner Amanda Freitag.

The night's chefs include: James Beard Award winner Christopher Gross of Christopher's and Crush Lounge; pastry chef Tracy Dempsey of Tracy Dempsey Originals; pastry chef Eugenia Theodosopoulos of Essence Bakery Café; pastry chef Helen Yung of Sweet Republic; and the host chef, Dushyant Singh, of Artizen Crafted American Kitchen and Bar. The night will be hosted by news anchor Sean McLaughlin of CBS 5 News.

The reception will feature tastings from Gabe Bertaccini of II Tocco Food; Kelly Fletcher of Zen; Sacha Levine of Ocotillo; Jeff Smedstad of Elote Café; and Matthew Taylor of Gertrude's.

For more information on this event, click here.