Current Editor: Cindy Bertelsen Culinary History Collection

James Beard 1903-1985

by Ann Hertzler

James Beard was born in Portland, Oregon. He attended Reed College and later became known as the "Dean of American Cooking" with his teaching, lecturing, demonstrations, and twenty books.

Highlights of his career include:

• 1930s - began career as a caterer in New York City
• 1940s - appeared on network television's first cookery program, I Love to Eat. This series opened the door for Julia Child's well known series.
• 1950s - launched his cooking school in New York City and Seaside, Oregon.,

James Beard

• learned cooking and entertaining from his mother; trained as an actor and opera singer.
• wrote "Corkscrew", a column about spirits, for House & Garden magazine.
• dedicated James Beard's American Cookery to his favorite great ladies of the American kitchen noting that "our national cuisine was conceived, developed, penned, and conserved almost entirely by women" and described Eliza Leslie (early 1800s) as the best cook of her time, and labeled posthumously as the "Father of American Cooking".
• known for epicurean entertaining and contribution to big, beautiful, hardbound "coffee table" books, and
• loved tracking great recipes through history and generations of change

Books authored by James Beard include:
Hors d'Oeuvre and Canapes (1940); Cook It Outdoors (1941); Fowl and Game Cookery (1944); The Fireside Cookbook (1949); Paris Cuisine (with Alexander Watt) (1952);
James Beard's New Fish Cookery (1954); How to Eat Better for Less Money (with Sam Aaron); The Complete Book of Outdoor Cookery (with Helen Evans Brown) (1955);
The James Beard Cookbook (1959); James Beard's Treasure of Outdoor Cooking (1960); James Beard's Menus for Entertaining (1954, 1965); Delights and Prejudice (1964); How to Eat (& Drink) Your Way Through a French (or Italian) Menu (1971);
James Beard's American Cookery (1972); Beard on Bread (1973); Beard on Food (1974); James Beard's Theory & Practice of Good Cooking (1977);
The New James Beard (1981); Beard on Pasta (1983); James Beard's Simple Food (1993); Love and Kisses and a Halo of Truffles (Letters to Helen Evans Brown, (1994) and The Armchair James Beard, (1999).

The James Beard Foundation was established "to foster the appreciation and development of gastronomy by preserving and promulgating our culinary heritage, and by recognizing and promoting excellence in all aspect of the culinary arts" (The Beard House, 167 West 12th St, NY, NY 10011) http://www.jamesbeard.org/

SOURCE:

DuSablon, Mary Anna: America's Collectible Cookbooks, Ohio University Press, 1994.

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