The James Beard Foundation, which dubiously claims to have "invented the idea of a pop-up restaurant 25 years ago" when they started inviting chefs to cook at the James Beard House, is launching a for real pop-up restaurant and cafe at Chelsea Market from April 12 - May 14. It's easy to be cynical about an organization like this so desperately trying to be trendy—see Air France's food truck—but this pop-up, called JBF LTD, nailed down an incredibly impressive line-up of guest chefs. Check out this schedule:
April 12 - 16: Three Michelin Star chef Laurent Gras, formerly of L2O in Chicago
April 26: JBF Award winner Michelle Bernstein of Michy’s and Sra. Martinez in Miami
May 3 - 7: Iñaki Aizpitarte of Le Châteaubriand in Paris with JBF Award winner David Chang and Team Momofuku
May 11-14: JBF Award winner David Kinch and John Paul Carmona of Manresa in Los Gatos, California
The dinners, which are all four course prix fixes with beverage pairings, are $75 a head on weekdays, $100 a head on weekends. Tickets will be sold through their official site starting April 1 and also through Gilt City.
For those who don't want to spring for dinner, during the day JBF LTD will have cafe fare and specially curated food "experiences," tastings, and demos from the folks at the Food Network.
· JBF LTD [Official Site]
· All Coverage of Pop-Ups [~ENY~]