Tyler Florence Heads To Seattle For The James Beard Foundation's Taste America

James Beard Award-winning chefs will prepare a tasting reception at the James Beard Foundation's Taste America event at the Space Needle and Chihuly Garden and Glass in Seattle on Friday, October 2.

Taste America is a national program of events that will take place in 10 cities from September 18 to November 7. The events feature benefit dinners prepared by James Beard Award-winning chefs.

Tyler Florence, Food Network host and chef of Wayfare Tavern in San Francisco, will be creating the Taste America dinner menu, along with Seattle-based chefs. Jeff Maxfield of SkyCity at the Needle will be the host chef, Neil Robertson of Crumble & Flake Patisserie will be the pastry chef, and James Beard Award winner Thierry Rautureau of Luc will also curate the menu. The dinner will begin at 8:00 p.m.

Preceding the dinner will be a cocktail and tasting reception at 6:30 p.m. Seattle chefs Zoi Antonitsas of Westward; Thomas Kollasch of Chihuly Garden and Glass's Collection Café; Jay Blackinton of Hogstone's Wood Oven; Eric Donnelly of RockCreek; James Beard Award winner Maxime Bilet of Imagine Food Innovation Group; and James Beard Award winner Eric Tanaka of Tom Douglas Restaurants.

Damon Huard, former quarterback of the Kansas City Chiefs and co-owner of Passing Time Winery, and John Curley, renowned sports journalist, will be the host and emcee for the evening.

On Saturday, October 3, Sur La Table in Kirkland, Washington will be hosting a series of free culinary events benefiting the James Beard Foundation. Chefs Rautureau and Bilet will do cooking demonstrations, and Bilet will have a book signing for his series called Modernist Cuisine.

A portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Taste America Scholarship Fund, which awards scholarships to students in each Taste America host state.