In honor of the 25th anniversary of the James Beard Foundation, Tempo Restaurant & Bar will join restaurants across the country to pay homage to culinary pioneer James Beard by adding a limited-time entrée to the menu. Inspired by Beard’s influence on American cuisine and culture, chef Brice Cunningham will be serving Lemongrass Scallops Lafayette ($25) from Memorial Day through Labor Day.
Lemongrass Scallops Lafayette – $25
Scallops and red pepper grilled on lemongrass skewers, over a potato confit with an avocado port sauce and ginger-infused coconut cream.
French chef Brice Cunningham, of Charlottesville, VA, chose James Beard’s 1970s dish, “Escalopes de Veau Lafayette” as inspiration for his “Lemongrass Scallops Lafayette”. The dish features highlights of ginger, coconut and lemongrass. The Marquis de Lafayette – for whom the dish is named – was French, but spent time Charlottesville, VA as a close friend and guest of Thomas Jefferson. The avocado port sauce is inspired from a 1970s lobster dish from the famous Michellin three-star restaurant Troisgros in Roanne, France.
As a participant in the national Serving Up James Beard promotion, Tempo Restaurant & Bar will donate $1 from each Lemongrass Scallops Lafayette sold to the James Beard Foundation Silver Anniversary Scholarship Drive, which supports aspiring culinary students in their pursuit of success in the hospitality industry.
ABOUT TEMPO RESTAURANT & BAR
Tempo Restaurant & Bar is the third restaurant, after Fleurie and Petit Pois, that Executive Chef Brice Cunningham has opened. Tempo showcases French fare with an international twist, offering dishes such as scallops infused with lemongrass, lamb braised in coconut and foie gras with naschi pear. Both the menu and the atmosphere embrace the ‘savoir vivre’ of great food, amazing atmosphere and good friends.
Brice grew up in France and Tahiti and began his professional career in Paris under Alain Ducasse, currently recognized as one of the top chefs in the world. Brice’s father, Stewart Cunningham, also carrying a long career in word-class European restaurants, travelled from France to join Brice in 2011 and together the father-and-son team opened Tempo.
“Tempo” is the underlying beat that stays the same no matter the culture from which it comes, and it is in this vein that the carefully thought-out menu and wine list pays tribute to a dynamic mix of bright and international influences, yet still anchored in the tried-and-true art of French culinary tradition.
ABOUT THE JAMES BEARD FOUNDATION
Founded in 1986, the James Beard Foundation is dedicated to celebrating, nurturing, and preserving America’s diverse culinary heritage and future. A cookbook author and teacher, James Beard was a champion of American cuisine who helped educate and mentor generations of professional chefs and food enthusiasts. Today the Beard Foundation continues in the same spirit by offering a variety of events and programs designed to educate, inspire, entertain, and foster a deeper understanding of our culinary culture. These programs include educational initiatives, food industry awards, an annual national food conference, Leadership Awards program, culinary scholarships, and publications.
In addition to maintaining the historic James Beard House in New York City’s Greenwich Village as a “performance space” for visiting chefs, the Foundation has created a robust online community, and hosts tastings, lectures, workshops, and food-related art exhibits in New York City and around the country. For more information, please visit jamesbeard.org. You can find insights on food at the James Beard Foundation’s blog Delights & Prejudices, become a JBF member at jamesbeard.org/join, like the James Beard Foundation on Facebook, and follow the James Beard Foundation on Twitter and Pinterest.
WHEN: Monday, May 28, 2012 through Monday, September 3, 2012
