Chef Cedric Hardenof the River North restaurant River Roast, 315 N. LaSalle St.will participate in the James Beard Foundation's 2021-2022 Taste America culinary series in collaboration with featured guest Chef Darnell Reed (of Luella's Southern Kitchen) on Tuesday, March 15. (The event was originally scheduled for Jan. 12.)
Taste America presented by Capital One will feature events in 26 total cities nationwide, bringing chefs and diners together to celebrate local independent restaurants and support efforts to rebuild a more sustainable and equitable industry.
Guests will enjoy a multi-course meal with beverage pairings, created just for this special night through a unique chef collaboration that the foundation curates. The local menu will feature:
Bread course: Cornbread, buttermilk biscuit, and seeded muffuletta bread with pimento cheese and butter
Appetizer: King crab-pork belly gumbo; or Gumbo z'Herbes with vegan dirty rice
Entree: Crispy pork shank with lentils, corn, torn bread and apple-cider nage; or delicata squash with roasted seasonal vegetables, wild rice and pumpkin seeds
Dessert: Carrot cake with cream cheese frosting, crispy carrots and cinnamon caramel
The box office is officially open, and tickets can be purchased at jamesbeard.org/tasteamerica, offered for tables of two, four and six.
Taste America supports local chefs and restaurants directly while also driving philanthropic support towards industry-wide relief. Sixty-five percent of all tickets sold will go directly to River Roast and Luella's Southern Kitchen to support their businesses, with 35% of proceeds supporting the foundation's national programming, including the Open for Good campaign.
Visit https://www.jamesbeard.org/tasteamerica.