To borrow from an old riddle, this issue is black and white and (hopefully) read all over — by you. In particular, I invite you to join us in celebrating ClubCorp’s partnership with the James Beard Foundation and its launch of the American Express Celebrity Chef Tour. Long before cable food channels proliferated and kitchen tell-all books catapulted chef names into superstardom, American James Beard shaped a career as a legendary cook, teacher, eater, and culinary icon. He made cooking seem like fun, not work, and wrote 22 books about food that continue to reign supreme as the "word" on American cooking. He was even the pioneer for food TV, first appearing on the small screen in 1946.

After his death in 1985 (at age 81), Beard’s legacy was formalized with the creation of his namesake foundation by a group of friends and chefs led by the grande dame of gastronomy Julia Child. (For more information, visit www.jamesbeard.org.) Among its many activities, the foundation has provided what some call the industry’s "Carnegie Hall" to provide a stage for culinary maestros to perform. Following the centennial remembrance of Beard’s birthday, the foundation decided to expand this stage into a touring show. We’re pleased to announce that nine of ClubCorp’s club and resort chefs have been tapped to participate with visiting celebrity chefs to provide members and guests extraordinary evenings of culinary theater.

To kick off this road show, as you’ll read in our stories, we decided to turn the tables, literally, on our chefs by inviting them to be guests at a celebrity chef dinner at the James Beard House in New York. After all, Beard once said you have to be inspired to cook. Award-winning food and wine writer and consultant W. R. Tish joined their table for the evening’s dazzling festivities. Under the watchful portraits of the culinary giant and former inhabitant of the brownstone, we didn’t just eat and drink. We had an extraordinary culinary and educational experience — similar to the ones that await you at a ClubCorp club or resort. So, what are you waiting for …

Patricia Baldwin
Editor in Chief

Photography by Dedjora Jutz of Quad Photo.