If you’ve ever attended a guest chef dinner at the James Beard House, you were likely struck by the old house’s many quirks. Of course, there’s the glamorously mirrored bathroom that offers a reflection of yourself from every angle, and the dais by the window that once held Mr. Beard’s bed. Sure, the professional kitchen added to the circa 1843 house was small and a bit awkward—and, generally, there were more guests cheerfully pressed together than could be comfortably seated—but there was something in the house’s idiosyncrasies that echoed the vivacity of Mr. Beard himself.
For many, its quirks were part of the James Beard House’s charms, but for others, they could be a barrier to entry. The house predates the Americans with Disabilities Act by almost 150 years and does not meet ADA standards. Also, opening the house was expensive. Given the ticket cost for a five-course guest chef dinner (with wine pairing), only the well-heeled could frequent this mainstay of James Beard Foundation (JBF) programming. “A lot of that was because of the physical restrictions of the space,” says Siobhan Flaherty Haber, Vice President of Event Programming, of those dinners.
When COVID effectively stopped the James Beard House from hosting guest chef dinners, it gave the JBF the breathing space to rethink how it used its platform. Accessibility—physical, financial, professional—became a key part of the discussion. The result is Platform by the James Beard Foundation at Pier 57. Unlike the James Beard House, this new, fully ADA-compliant space is versatile; not only can it accommodate seated dinners, but also culinary demonstrations, classes, and panel discussions.
“It‘s definitely still a guest chef program, so we’re bringing talent in from all over the country,” says Flaherty Haber. “The idea is to give talent access to the James Beard Foundation’s platform by both showcasing people who have been around and paved the way in the industry for many years but also to the next generation of up-and-comers.” Since its debut in April 2023, Platform by JBF has hosted more than 400 programs.
A Blank Canvas
Though equally historic, the industrial space at Pier 57 (built in 1952 as the largest shipping pier commissioned by New York City) could not be more different from James Beard’s intimate 19th-century townhouse. Prior to COVID, the JBF’s programming was tailored to what could be achieved within the confines of 167 West 12th Street. The blank canvas that Pier 57 offered presented other challenges—namely, how to design a new, versatile, dynamic space that still radiated the warmth of James Beard’s idiosyncratic home.
The Foundation drove a planning process designed to question and uncover a vision for the future that was idealistic and expansive, rather than responsive or limited by space constraints. “We wanted to bring our mission to life, but what does that mean?” Flaherty Haber says of the discovery process. “That’s when we started to articulate that it was about more than dinner. Dinner was a piece of that, but the educational and experiential nature of food, and the broader set of the industry that we work with—including the food media side of the industry—is not just about dinner.” Suddenly the horizon of possibilities split wide open. “It could be panel conversations, it could be lectures, it could be classes, it could be talks, it could be all these things,” Flaherty Haber says.
With a rough programming plan in hand, the JBF team delved into what they wanted from the design. “We have the Beard House, and people love it,” says Flaherty Haber, “The leadership at the time considered things like, ‘what do we want this space to feel like? What do we want it to be? And what do we not want it to be?'” She continues, “They wanted it to have a sense that you’re dining in someone’s home, even though the pier is steel and very modern.” So they wrote works like “warm” and “cozy” into a design brief, then the property management team helped select an actual designer.”
Elements of Platform’s design reference Mid-Century Modern aesthetics: bright colors (burnt orange, quince yellow); dining chairs and barstools by the Danish company Møller; and walnut tables on hydraulic lifts that take them from dining height to counter height. Cookbooks, vintage crockery, and colorful enameled cast iron cookware line wooden shelves designed by Shillitoe. The walls are decorated with photographs from the James Beard Foundation’s cookbook, Waste Not: How to Get the Most from Your Food. “They’re very much in that Mid-Century Modern style, and they’ve got an interesting finish on them,” Flaherty Haber says. “They were produced in a bunch of different sizes and frames to bring color into the space, but, obviously, in a way that’s still anchored in our mission of food.”
A Better Kitchen for Cooking
At first, the Foundation was concerned that Platform—despite its comfort, elegance, and state-of-the-art kitchen—would hold less cachet for visiting chefs than the Beard House. “They always say, ‘Oh, man, I really wish I could cook at the Beard House.’ But then they get here, and, inevitably, they say, ‘This is amazing. I would so much rather cook here. Can I just go take a tour of the Beard House?’” Flaherty Haber laughs, “Come on over. We’ll show you around.”
After a years-long treadmill of 20 guest chef dinners per month (all hidden behind a brick facade on a quiet West Village street), Platform offers literal transparency. With glass walls, you can walk by the space in Pier 57 and see what the James Beard Foundation is up to. Meanwhile, the diversity of Platform’s programming—free events, classes, talks, screenings, cooking demos, and more—means that everyone can engage with the JBF. Platform’s programs are financially, physically, professionally, and even visually less exclusive than the programming had been at the James Beard House.
But what’s happening with the old James Beard House? According to Flaherty Haber, it’s getting “a much-needed breath of fresh air, a little bit of a break.” Currently, the JBF conducts tours of the house and rents it for private events, which can include as few as 25 to 40 people for a seated dinner.
Platform by James Beard Foundation
Located in Pier 57, 25 11th Ave, New York, NY
(212) 627-5252
