Published: September 01. 2010 2:00AM

By Renata Parker
CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Devoted to culinary education, the James Beard Foundation was created as a way to keep James Beard's vision alive. Known for his deep knowledge of cuisine and his passion for mentoring and training generations of professional chefs, Beard is considered the authority of American food.

When he died in 1986, Beard’s townhouse in New York's Greenwich Village was opened as an event restaurant that visiting chefs could use. In addition, the home became "the" space for accomplished chefs to perform and for the foundation to host culinary events. For those who have a strong appreciation for food, dinner at the James Beard House is an unforgettable, incredible experience.

Each dinner event at the James Beard House is themed so no two events are ever the same. At a recent event at the James Beard House, lucky diners were treated to delectable creations from culinary rock stars straight from the nation's capital.

D.C.-area chefs who participated were Bertrand Chemel of restaurant 2941; Scott Drewno from The Source by Wolfgang Puck; Daniel Giusti of 1789 Restaurant; Haidar Karoum of Proof restaurant & wine bar; Josh Short of Buzz Bakery in Alexandria, Va.; Vikram Sunderam of Rasika Restaurant; and Ron Tanaka of Cork Wine Bar. The dinner menu included such items as abalone and foie gras with white soy, lemon, and jalapeño; chilled heirloom tomato soup; crispy fried softshell crab with Virginia corn chowchow; marinated Italian eggplant with spiced potatoes; steamed wild sea bass with fragrant herbs; and roasted duck breast with Swiss chard and strawberry chutney.

The foundation's Celebrity Chef traveling events program brings the James Beard food experience from Greenwich Village to cities across the country. Close to home, Celebrity Chef events are scheduled in Charlotte on Sept. 22 at Restaurant Blue on College Street downtown and in Atlanta on Sept. 24 at the St. Regis Hotel Buckhead.

Reserve early, as all of the James Beard events tend to sell out. Dinners at the James Beard House are listed at www.jamesbeard.org , which also lists locations for the foundation's traveling Celebrity Chef events.

Beyond the Beard experience, there are a number of food events to satisfy food enthusiasts. If your travels include the West Coast, plan to attend the 27th American Wine & Food Festival on Sept. 25, when some of the most famous top chefs will gather at Universal Studios in Los Angeles. At past events, A-list chefs like Nobu Matsuhisa of Nobu, Laurent Tourondel of BLT Steak restaurant and Thomas Keller (one of my personal favorites) of restaurants The French Laundry and Bouchon, whipped out their culinary specialties. Organizers promise not to disappoint. At the festival there are celebrities, delicious food, fine wine, live bands and also an auction. This is food heaven! For tickets, visit www.awff.org. Take your place at the table at one of most prestigious food events devoted to American cuisine.