James Beard Awards

Being banded certainly doesn't mean that I don't appreciate wonderful food! So, last night, I went to the James Beard Awards with my friend Erika. The awards were held at Avery Fisher Hall (part of Lincoln Center) and were followed by a dinner prepared by all female chefs, as the night's theme was to honor women in the industry.

It was a star-studded event to be sure! After the awards ceremony, there was a dinner -- served cocktail party style, with each table having a different small dish or a different drink. This was perfect, since virtually everything was band-sized and many of the dishes were band-appropriate. In particular, I had one dish that was a green apple sorbet with the most succulent crab meat ever. It was 2 bites of wonderfulness!

OK, so on to the celebrity sightings. Those of you who are foodies and/or love the Food Network will appreciate this! At the dinner, I got to speak with Dan Barber (I love Blue Hill at Stone Barn), Alain Ducaisse and others . . and was within inches of Mario Battali, Jacques Pepin (adorable - he smiled at me!) and Tom Colicchio (Top Chef) for much of the night! Other people who I saw there were Martha Stewart, Daniel Boulud, Lydia Bastianich, Emeril Legasse (who co-hosted), Stanley Tucci (same) and Cat Cora (same), who was pregnant and looking wonderful. Also, the cute blonde guy (Jeff) from last season's Top Chef was there.

What a night! It was easy to do this event as a bandster because of the very small portions, and I just picked from the best things there (asparagus wrapped in thinly sliced beef carpaccio from grass-fed organic cows. . hello!). Most dishes were healthy, so that also helped!