Why the Beard Awards Should Hit the Road

I had a moment of clarity yesterday morning, when I was at Chicago’s Pritzker Pavilion shortly after Susan Ungaro, president of the James Beard Foundation, announced that the awards would leave New York for the first time in their 24-year history and take place in Chicago next year. I looked at the chefs and restaurateurs around me, jubilant with the honor of hosting next year’s awards, and said, “Wow, I’ll...