JAMES BEARD is why you are a foodie today. He was, with Julia Child, one of the two most influential chefs and food writers in America, championing both French cooking and the preservation and maintenance of great local food traditions to average home cooks. He was a prolific writer, producing twenty-one books, including James Beard's American Cookery and countless magazine articles; a tireless teacher; and early television personality and product promoter. The James Beard Foundation, which administers the industry's most influential awards and meaningful scholarships, was founded in his honor after his death in 1985 and is headquartered in his townhouse in New York City's Greenwich Village.