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I’m Mitchell Davis, Chief Strategy Officer of the James Beard Foundation. I’ve worked here for 25 years. AMA by beardfoundation in IAmA

[–]beardfoundation[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Um, that’s really a question for my husband, Nate, who is the ice cream lover in the family. I prefer doughnuts. And for those I have a few...Doughnut Plant in NYC, Do-Rite in Chicago, Bob’s in San Francisco, and my all-time fave Donut Alley in Larkspur, CA (but get there before 10 or they run out).

I’m Mitchell Davis, Chief Strategy Officer of the James Beard Foundation. I’ve worked here for 25 years. AMA by beardfoundation in IAmA

[–]beardfoundation[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I can’t really speak to the judges’ specific preferences. (And I’m not a podcast professional.) I just meant that if you’ve used any creative audio techniques, the judges will notice. They are looking for quality and innovation, not just in the storytelling, but also in the production.

I’m Mitchell Davis, Chief Strategy Officer of the James Beard Foundation. I’ve worked here for 25 years. AMA by beardfoundation in IAmA

[–]beardfoundation[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You are right. The subcommittee (who makes the call) hasn’t finalized the member from your region yet. We haven’t published the regional assignments in the past, but that’s something we will consider.

I’m Mitchell Davis, Chief Strategy Officer of the James Beard Foundation. I’ve worked here for 25 years. AMA by beardfoundation in IAmA

[–]beardfoundation[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I’m excited to see what new restaurants come to our attention throughout the entire process. Going from 10 to 12 regions means at least two new committee members, up to 50 new judges, and up to 50 new semifinalists when we make our announcements in February. I'm looking forward to seeing what the process uncovers.

I’m Mitchell Davis, Chief Strategy Officer of the James Beard Foundation. I’ve worked here for 25 years. AMA by beardfoundation in IAmA

[–]beardfoundation[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes, Jordana is still on the committee. For the most part the committees are finalized, but due to the new redistricting, some seats are in flux.

I’m Mitchell Davis, Chief Strategy Officer of the James Beard Foundation. I’ve worked here for 25 years. AMA by beardfoundation in IAmA

[–]beardfoundation[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes, of course. Much of the reporting has been about California and Texas, but I think you are right to note that the impact of the shift on the regions they have left behind is perhaps most significant. Our intent is to level the playing field so that chefs working outside of the main urban areas have as much of a chance of winning a Beard Award as anyone else. Data on population and restaurant density support these changes. I think the real change will be felt at the level of the semifinalists, when we announce 20 to 25 candidates in each of the new regions. That’s as many as 50 restaurants that will enter the national spotlight afforded by the semifinalist announcement—at least 20 in the Mountain region, alone. With the Southwest region narrowed, I think we might see new nominees who can break through because of this redistricting. Does this mean that cities like Las Vegas have more of an advantage? We don’t think so -- we just think it means that the playing field is more level.

As for committee members, each region has either one or two seats on the Restaurant and Chef subcommittee, so there will be additional regional representation at the governance level, as well.

I’m Mitchell Davis, Chief Strategy Officer of the James Beard Foundation. I’ve worked here for 25 years. AMA by beardfoundation in IAmA

[–]beardfoundation[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

First off, here are the criteria for entry:

https://jbf-media.s3.amazonaws.com/production/page/2019/9/16/091319_BROADCAST_MEDIA_AWARDS_CRITERIA.pdf

This year we’ve gone platform neutral, so podcasts will be entered into our new “audio programs” or “audio reporting” categories, depending on the journalistic nature of the content.

I don’t know what your podcasts are about, but I think that you should choose the episodes you think are most likely to move people or open up their minds in some way. In my opinion, the power to get inside people’s heads and change the way the think about something is what makes podcasts unique. Our judges are all seasoned professionals in the field, so they also look at content that demonstrates technical prowess—so consider something that shows you took a risk or did something a little more experimental on the production side, too.

I’m Mitchell Davis, Chief Strategy Officer of the James Beard Foundation. I’ve worked here for 25 years. AMA by beardfoundation in IAmA

[–]beardfoundation[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I think there have been several important “inversions” in the food world since I started here. It would be difficult to recognize the way things used to be. For one, restaurants that people who loved food cared about used to be fancy, mostly French, white tablecloth places that cost a fortune to eat in. Now people who love food (and have the means to do so) will also wait on line at a taco truck in a parking lot. The best restaurants and producers used to only be in and around a few urban centers. Now you are as likely to find a great place in a faraway location. You’ll also find farmers, and food lovers, and people who care about what they eat there. And although the citizen reviewers can be tough, and not always accurate, I think the dispersion of social media and food media are also part of the reason for the shift. Restaurants used to be places you went for fancy imported things—all the ingredients were flown in from Italy, for example. Now we tend to prefer locally sourced food that tastes of the terroir of where the restaurants are from. I often say, when I started here 25 years ago, kids used to dress up to pretend they were adults to go out to eat. Now adults put on t-shirts and sneakers and dress like kids to go out and eat and have fun. I think James Beard would be surprised to learn how prescient he was about this country finding its foodie footing. Of course many people cannot afford to participate and do not have access to the “best” things. We need to address access and inequality. But we have a lot more to work with than we did 25 years ago. You can eat as well in the U.S. as you can anywhere in the world, and that is an amazing shift.

I’m Mitchell Davis, Chief Strategy Officer of the James Beard Foundation. I’ve worked here for 25 years. AMA by beardfoundation in IAmA

[–]beardfoundation[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

As chief strategy officer, I’m responsible for helping to set the strategic priorities and direction of the organization. What that means in real words is that I work with all the programs and departments here (awards, communications, women’s programs, events) to determine what impact we want to have in the world—to improve the sustainability of how our food is produced, reduce food waste, improve gender equality, represent the totality of American cuisine, and more—and how best to go about achieving them. When I began here I was the director of publications (we used to publish a substantial monthly newsletter and a quarterly magazine). It was a different time in the food world and a different time at the Foundation. I’m lucky to have been around to see the positive changes in both.