James Beard Foundation- Celebrity Chef Tour Makes Grand Appearance in Nashville

Saturday we joined The Catbird Seat’s culinary masters Chef Ryan Poli and Beverage Director Matthew Poli for a once-in-a-lifetime experience, an evening spent on the First Tennessee Park baseball field.

**Host Beverage Director Matthew Poli – The Catbird Seat, Nashville- schramsberg blanc de blancs 2014**

The Poli brothers, with the help of a diverse group of celebrated local and national chefs, took us on a truly unique dining adventure where we enjoyed welcome provisions in the Nashville Sounds’ batting cages, dined at a table set through the first baseline of the baseball field, and ended the evening with the chef’s at Strategic Hospitality’s in-stadium bar, The Band Box. Check it out below!

**Brian Lea – Le Sel, Nashville Oysters + hibiscus mignonette**

**Brian Lea – Le Sel, Nashville Beef tartare, asian pear, black sesame crisp**

**Brian Lea – Le Sel, Nashville foie gras gras + apple tart**

**JBF Award Winner Kevin Nashan – The Peacemaker and Sidney Street Cafe, St. Louis – passmore ranch smoked sturgeon, gem lettuce, potato, radish, egg, brown butter vinaigrette**

**Tony Galzin – Nicky’s Coal Fired, Nashville – lonza, coppa, ciccoli and porchetta with sourdough and seasonal preserves**

**Host Chef Ryan Poli – The Catbird Seat, Nashville – bear creek farm grilled short rib, smoked pumpkin puree, confit potatoes, black garlic**

**Andrew Brochu – Roister, Chicago – shrimp and biscuits with crab butter**

**Julia Sullivan – Henrietta Red, Nashville – seafood salad, rouille, fennel, lemon, chili**

**JBF Award Winner Greg Vernick – Vernick Food & Drink, Philadelphia- mezcal-cured salmon, bitter greens, toasted seeds, creamy lime dressing**

**JBF Award Winner Jeff Michaud – Osteria, Philadelphia- chicken liver risotto; 24 month parmigiano, local onions, sage, aged balsamic**

**Gregory Gourdet – Departure Restaurant + Lounge, Portland and Denver- grilled pork neck with fish sauce, maple glazed root vegetables**

**JBF Award-Winning Pastry Chef Mindy Segal – Mindy’s Hot Chocolate, Chicago- three sisters pecan praline, brioche bread pudding, creme fraiche cream, bourbon caramel**

**Pastry Chef Patrick Wellman – The Catbird Seat, Nashville- dark chocolate tart, miso caramel sauce, cracker jacks**

About the James Beard Foundation:

Founded in 1986, the James Beard Foundation celebrates, nurtures, and honors chefs and other leaders making America’s food culture more delicious, diverse, and sustainable for everyone. A cookbook author and teacher with an encyclopedic knowledge about food, the late James Beard was a champion of American cuisine. He helped educate and mentor generations of professional chefs and food enthusiasts, instilling in them the value of wholesome, healthful, and delicious food. Today JBF continues in the same spirit by administering a number of diverse programs that include educational initiatives, food industry awards, scholarships for culinary students, publications, chef advocacy training, and thought-leader convening. The Foundation also maintains the historic James Beard House in New York City’s Greenwich Village as a “performance space” for visiting chefs. For more information, please visit jamesbeard.org. Get food news, recipes, and more at the James Beard Foundation’s blog, or subscribe to the free digital newsletter Beard Bites. Follow @beardfoundation on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and Snapchat. Watch the James Beard House Kitchen Cam, James Beard Awards, and more on the Foundation’s Livestream channel. Find more JBF-related video on the Foundation’s YouTube channels.