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By Cole Danehower
Susan Ungaro, president of the New York city-based
James Beard Foundation was in Portland recently to
help kick off a multi-city, nationwide celebration of
food called “The James Beard Foundation’s Taste
America™”. In the process, she also gave new
momentum to the creation of a permanent public
market in Portland.
“We’re here to help celebrate, nurture, and experience
the bounty and diversity of American cuisine,” she
said to Northwest Palate, as she sat beneath a portrait
of the Foundation’s namesake. “There is perfect
alignment between the Taste America celebration and
the naming of the Portland public market in honor of
James Beard.”
Within the world of foodies the name James Beard is hallowed. The round head-and-bellied Beard was unquestionably one of the most significant gourmands of the 20th Century. His writings, recipes, and countenance influenced countless cooks, chefs, restaurateurs, diners, writers, and food-interested folk. He helped bring the once revolutionary idea of fresh, local, seasonal ingredients into the mainstream, and in many ways he taught modern America how to cook with modern American ingredients.
Ungaro was in Portland—rather than one of the 20 other Taste America venues—because it was in Portland that James Beard was born, and it is in Portland that much of his heritage can be seen (and tasted) in the vibrant and quality-driven food culture that has grown up in his wake.
And, it is in Portland that Ungaro announced, with Ron Paul, consulting director to the Portland Public Market project, that henceforth the proposed public market will be named the James Beard Portland Public Market in honor of Portland’s founding foodie.
“We’re thrilled to be here,” said Ungaro. “The Foundation has been a great supporter of the Portland Public Market—what better way to honor James Beard’s memory than to have Portland’s public market named after him?”
“Naming the public market in honor of James Beard will call public attention to what he accomplished and the influence he’s had,” said Paul. “People who don’t know his name may become curious and come to the market just to find out more about him.”
Paul has been a tireless advocate for the creation of a full-time public market in Portland, much as Granville Island Market is in Vancouver and Pike Place Market is in Seattle. “The same flow of fresh ingredients comes into the city from the farms and from the ocean as it did when Beard lived here,” said Paul. “The proposed James Beard Public Market will be a fitting way for people to come, shop, and celebrate for themselves what Beard experienced.”
