The James Beard House Fellows Program Presented by Capital One®
For decades, cooking at the James Beard House has been an aspiration for many chefs and considered a career milestone. In May of 2021, we launched the Beard House Fellows program presented by Capital One, which re-envisions the potential of this historic space into a hub of training and professional development for talented emerging chefs.
Learn more about our May Fellow, Nicole Merino.
Learn more about our June Fellow, Mimi Chen.
Learn more about our July Fellow, Theodore Coleman.
Learn more about our August Fellow, Sofia Mendoza.
Learn more about our September Fellow, Kencito Vernon.
Learn more about our October Fellow, Nashali Rivera.
Learn more about our November Fellow, Lay Alston.
Each Fellow will have a one-month residence at the Beard House where JBF will provide hard skills training in:
- Financial and small business advice provided by Capital One
- Legal advice from Arnold and Porter
- Media training and personal branding development with publicist Valerie Wilson
- Wine knowledge with Tahiirah Habibi of Hue Society
- Social media training with the Talented Tenth Collective
- Food policy and advocacy training by the JBF Impact team
- Leadership assessment and training
- Develop a meal kit in collaboration with Great Performances which will be available to everyone across the country and conclude with a live virtual event at the James Beard House
Advisory Committee
- Monti Carlo, Owner, Island Girl Cooks
- Irene Li, Co-Founder and Program Manager, Mei Mei Restaurant and CommonWealth Kitchen
- Mavis-Jay Sanders, Director of Culinary Development & Education and CEO, Drive Change and A Sanders Thing
- Alexander Smalls, Chef, Restaurateur, Author, and Food Activist, Alexander Smalls & Company, LLC
- Deborah VanTrece, Creative Director, Author, Owner, Twisted Soul Cookhouse & Pours
For more information about the Beard House Fellows Program, contact for beardhousefellows@jamesbeard.org.