Foreign.

And welcome to the Fromer Travel Show.

I'm your host, Pauline Fromer.

It will come as no surprise to listeners to this show that this show isn't the only thing I do.

I also publish, edit, and sometimes write guidebooks.

And recently I had the great pleasure, pleasure of editing.

My next guest, her name is Barbara Balfour and she is the author, I'm proud to say, of a wonderful book.

It just went on sale a couple of weeks ago.

It's called Fromer's Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.

Hey, Barbara, welcome to the Fromer Travel Show.

Hey, Pauline, thank you so much.

It's a pleasure to be here.

It was a pleasure to edit you.

I mean, you did a wonderful job and it's a truly fascinating part of the world.

I think when people think about the Canadian Maritimes, they think about lots of pine trees and the Atlantic Ocean crashing on rocks.

But a lot of people don't realize that this is a destination, a region very much shaped by its history.

And when you go there, there are a lot of attractions that are there to tell you about that history.

Do you agree?

You're absolutely right.

I think a lot of people, when they think of the Maritimes, you know, the first images that come to mind are, of course, lighthouses, lobster dinners, and those iconic pastel colored fishing villages.

But absolutely beneath all that charm, there's a history that stretches back thousands of years.

And it's shaped by indigenous peoples, by European settlers, Acadian communities, and unfort maritime tragedies, because the sea has its way of reminding us all that she's the boss.

One thing that we, we don't necessarily talk about as much as we should is that long before European ships appeared on the shores of the Maritimes, it was home to many vibrant indigenous nations.

For example, in Nova Scotia, the Mi' Kmaq people lived in harmony with the forests and the rivers and the oceans for thousands of years.

They developed sophisticated fishing techniques, they traveled by canoe, and they created art and spiritual practices and storytelling traditions that are still alive today.

And there are some places like Kejim Kuchik national park and Historic Site, where you can actually see ancient petroglyphs that are carved into the rocks.

And you can also canoe through waterways.

They were once used for trade.

And you can even camp under the dark skies like indigenous people have done for generations.

Yeah, yeah.

And that's just one of the many indigenous sites.

And I'm not sure how many of our listeners know about the Akkadian history of the region.

So tell us a Little bit about that, because it's quite tragic.

I'm glad you asked about that, because it's really a formative part of the Maritimes.

And so the Acadians were French settlers who arrived in the early 1600s.

They developed communities across, mostly Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and they were farming the land and creating a culture that blended European and local influences.

But their history is marred by tragedy and forced expulsion.

So here's the backstory.

What happened is Britain had taken control of the region from France in 1713, but the Acadians didn't want to pick a side.

They refused to fight against their French, who they saw as their cultural cousins, or the Mi', Kmaq, their indigenous allies.

They just wanted to farm and live in peace.

But when the French and the Indian war broke out in the 1750s, the British got nervous, and they saw the Acadians as a potential threat.

What if they helped the French in an invasion?

So when many Acadians refused to swear unconditional loyalty to the Crown, the British decided to remove them altogether.

So that started in 1755, and it was pretty awful.

Entire villages were burned, families were torn apart, and more than 10,000 Acadians were deported to places as far away as American colonies.

France, England, the Caribbean.

And tragically, many didn't survive the journey.

And the heartbreak of it all is that the Acadians weren't looking to join anyone's war.

They were neutral.

The expulsion was really about the British wanting to secure land and bring in settlers that they trusted more.

But, you know, fortunately, the story doesn't end there.

The survivors, Acadian survivors, eventually came back, and they made sure their voice and their food and their music.

Music didn't just survive, but has now become a defining part of the Maritimes.

And so you see it everywhere.

You see it in an event.

Every year on August 15, there's a lively parade called Tintamar.

So what happens is Acadians will flood the streets with pots and pans and noisemakers to show everyone, like, hey, we're still here.

We didn't go anywhere.

Where is this?

Which of the regions in Tintamar?

In New Brunswick.

Oh, okay.

And all.

All across the region, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick.

You can also taste a comfort food classic that's still very much feature in Acadian homes.

And it's called Rapi pie, and that's a really hearty, heartwarming casserole of grated potatoes, some sort of meat like chicken or pork, and onions with molasses on top.

It sounds odd, but you Gotta trust me on this.

It just kind of ties everything together.

And it's.

And it's really good.

And it's such a comfort food classic.

And today you can also visit many different Acadian sites to sort of see recreated homes and see traditional farming methods, and you can hear, you know, some of the music and stories that survived exile.

So modern Acadian culture is still very vibrant.

And you see that pride in people who can trace their beginnings to the original sellers today.

Yeah, yeah, absolutely.

And, you know, there are a lot of places in this book, and I had helped with the photo editing, so I know how many there are where people get dressed up in colonial costume and take people through and tell them their stories.

And you can do that a couple of times on vacation.

You can't do it every day.

You could actually probably, if you were, you know, but I don't think you would want to.

That wouldn't be a great vacation.

If somebody wants to go to the marriage times and have that experience.

What do you think is.

Is the top one of these.

Of these attractions where you are taken back into the past?

I mean, any history buff would appreciate going to Fort Beausejour, which is a restored French fort near Sackville.

And it basically tells the story of Acadian life before and during the conflicts that led to their deportation.

And then, of course, in Nova Scotia, there's the historic Acadian village that actually lets you walk through recreated home, see, for example, a blacksmith plotting his trade, or hear some of the music and the stories that survived exile and taste things like rapee pie as well.

Right, right, Interesting.

Okay, well, you were talking a moment ago about New Brunswick, and I feel like New Brunswick is the forgotten stepchild of the Canadian Maritimes.

People know that they want to go to Prince Edward island because they're really into Anne of Green Gables.

They know they want to go to Nova Scotia because the Cabot Trail is so rightly famous as one of the best driving vacations in North America.

But I think a lot of people look at New Brunswick and besides the fact that a lot of people travel through it because it's a good route from Maine into the Maritimes, they don't really know why you would go to New Brunswick.

So what would you say to somebody who has no idea what they would see in New Brunswick?

It is sometimes the mystery province of the Maritimes, and it honestly shouldn't be.

There's so much here that's absolutely worth a trip.

So, of course, first and foremost, the Bay of Fundy is famous for having the highest tides in the world, so they can rise and fall more than 50ft in a single day.

And that tidal phenomenon creates one of the most unusual natural attractions, which is the Hopal Rocks, also called the Flower Pot Rocks.

So at low tide, you can walk along the ocean floor and you weave between these massive rock formations that look like elephants, tulips, ice cream cones.

Cones.

Like.

It's fun to see what shapes you can identify.

And then, of course, at high tide, the water rises very dramatically around them and makes it look like the rocks are floating.

It's such a rare opportunity to witness nature on a.

Almost theatrical scale.

And of course, if you're a photographer, it's absolute heaven.

Of course, these, these formations are very well photographed in publications such as National Geographic.

They're sort of known all over the world.

But to see it up close and personal is.

It's really kind of a bucket list experience.

And one I highly, highly recomm.

Yeah.

Okay, so that's probably.

That's the highlight of New Brunswick, right?

Yeah, but you don't want to go just for that.

So what are several other things that you really enjoy in New Brunswick?

Sure.

So, I mean, New Brunswick also has a very rich urban history.

So St. John, which is the province's largest city, it has a beautiful waterfront that's lined with historic warehouses, restaurants and craft breweries.

And you can sort of get a feel for a working port that's been alive for centuries.

And that's, that's sort of like a fun, more.

More urban experience.

In Moncton, there's a bit of an oddity called Magnetic Hill.

It's basically an optical illusion where cars appear to roll uphill when you put them in neutral.

It's.

It's a bit of kitschy roadside magic.

And it's also near an amusement park and a golf course, a winery, a spa.

So it's a perfect stop for.

For families and people who appreciate a little bit of oddball sort of fun.

And you know, you had, you had asked earlier about sort of historical settlements, and one that I forgot to mention is King's Landing Historical Settlement.

And that's about 20 minutes away from Fredericton.

And that gives you a really vibrant taste of sort of 19th century life.

It's got the costumed interpreters and the farms and the shops and, you know, you can see candle making and farming and more.

And they, they do a.

A really good job of bringing it, bringing it all together.

And I would say if you, if you are really, before we leave, King'

Us say it has nothing to do with Game of Thrones, right?

No, no, no, no.

Absolutely nothing.

And, you know, and I would say if you're, if you're a nature buff, I would say out of the three Maritime Provinces, I would say New Brunswick is really your best bet for, you know, really amazing, awe inspiring, you know, beautiful landscapes and natural parks and gorgeous drives.

I mean, of course, everyone has their favorite, right?

But I'm sort of more partial to New Brunswick in that sense because it still feels a little bit, like you said, a bit off the beaten path.

And the Kuchibiguwak national park is a real natural wonder.

And it's sort of got everything.

It's got the salt marshes and the sand dunes.

You can see rare birds like the piping plover and, you know, there's walking and cycling and it's just, it's just a perfect place to connect with nature in a way that feels really untouched and, you know, not necessarily swarmed with tourists, even in high season.

Wow.

Well, that's always a blessing, especially today.

It's so hard to get away from the crowds.

Which I guess leads us to Prince Edward island, where you will find crowds of people who are in love with Anne of Green Gables, because that was a book that was taught for many years in Japan and in other countries.

It was a way of teaching English.

And so you often get people from really far flung parts of the world coming to this little island just to see where Lucy Maud Montgomery, who was the author, lived and wrote.

And then there's a lot of, you know, fake places where supposedly Anne lived.

She was a fictional character, so she didn't live any at any of them.

Can you enjoy Prince Edward Island?

If you don't give a damn about Prince Edward island, about Anne of Green

Gables, you absolutely can.

But I do think if you at least brush up on her story, it's a fun bonus.

And like you said, this fiery red haired orphan heroine of Lucy Mont Montgomery's novels is famous worldwide.

What I find really interesting is the darker history that no one really talks about.

Lucy Mont Montgomery herself.

Despite writing these stories of sort of whimsical friendships and sort of Pollyanna esque scenarios and narratives, she herself was a very complex, fascinating and tragically tormented figure.

She battled depression throughout her life.

She had sometimes scandalous relationships and affairs and personal mental health struggles deeply influenced the melancholy in her writing.

And her life actually ended in suicide, which isn't talked about openly or very much.

But if you do dig deeper with the interpretive guides and the museum staff, you know, you will be able to, to hear more, but you, you do not need to be an Anne of Green Gables fan to.

To fall in love with Pei.

Of course, you know, the seafood alone is, is enough to visit.

My favorite place to have a really wonderful lobster roll is this family run shack called Richards.

It has several locations, but my favorite is the original one in York.

And, you know, you can sink your teeth into a lightly buttered, generously filled lobster roll, like a pound and a half of lobster shoved right in there.

And you can feel the ocean breeze in your hair.

And, you know, if you want something fancier, there's one of Canada's most celebrated chefs who's actually originally from New York, Chef Michael Smith.

And he runs a spectacular inn, the Inn at Fortune Bay, that also has a menu that's focused on completely locally sourced seafood and produce.

And he has a nightly event in the summer called the Fireworks Feast.

And, you know, it's a little bit pricier, but it's, it's worth every penny.

And it's basically an all night long extravaganza of feasting and sort of farm to table food.

And, you know, staying there or even dining for the night is an experience that, you know, it goes beyond any literary connection.

It's, it's pure Pei flavor and hospitality and, and of course, you know, there's, there's the landscape, there's the outdoor adventures.

The island is stunning.

You've got the red cliffs and the white sandy beaches and the coastal drives and, and you can take many of those just slow drives through villages.

They're just idyllic, you know, dotted with lighthouses and fishing boats and colonial architecture that gives the island a timeless feel.

And of course, Charlottetown, the capital of pei, is very historically important because that's where the Confederation of Canada began.

So you can explore a lot of that history without thinking about Hannah Green Gables at all.

Huh?

Okay, wonderful.

All right, so we've talked a little bit about New Brunswick.

We've talked a little bit about Prince Edward Island.

Let's talk Nova Scotia.

To me, that's the crown jewel.

But maybe, maybe I'm wrong.

A lot of people want to do the Cabot Drive.

Why is that?

What makes that such a vaunted travel experience?

It's basically the classic Canadian east coast experience.

It's a loop of about 300km that winds through many different landscapes.

The Cape Breton Highlands, the coastline, the cliffs, you know, lush valleys and forests.

The scenery changes constantly, so it's almost like multiple road trips in One.

But everything is just so beautiful.

And I mean, whether you hit it in late spring or the early fall, you won't be disappointed.

There's just so many beautiful lookout points.

Whether you see the wildflowers starting to bloom or the foliage explode in red and orange and gold, it's just absolutely spectacular.

And especially if you want to stop for, you know, hikes and photography and sort of lookout points along the way, it's, it's, it's just wonderful.

And there's many sort of must stop points where you can do whale watching, you can do kayaking, you can check out the local boutiques, or take some smaller detours for sort of quieter hiking or paddling away from the main loop.

I mean, it's just absolutely stunning and it's best sort of savored slowly.

If you have, you know, at least three or four days, it would be perfect.

It's, it's more of a journey than a drive.

That's how I think of it.

Yeah.

Yeah, absolutely.

Okay, so people want to take the road trip.

If you do that, you may fly into Halifax, which is a surprisingly appealing city, I thought, when I visited it.

Incredible lobster.

In fact, I went out with a bunch of folks from Halifax and they asked me with straight faces if I had ever tried lobster before.

It was like they had invented it.

And I gotta say, it was more delicious there than I've ever had it before.

But also some really fat, fascinating museums.

If you're a city slicker, you know, if you, if you really appreciate sort of the, the urban charm, Halifax is a city that punches well above its weight.

It's so compelling because it's got so many.

I mean, to me, I think it's got some of the finest restaurants and in all the Maritimes, it's got the best shopping.

It's got craft breweries, it's got a five star hotel, the Muir, that has its own secret speakeasy.

You know, a lot of art and music and, you know, a food scene that's sort of exploded in recent years.

And on top of it all, it's also a really convenient gateway to sites like Peggy's Cove and Lunenburg, for instance.

Yeah, Lunenburg.

When you see photos of that and I have not been, it looks like the ideal Canadian maritime city.

It's this picture of these houses along the waterfront is the classic shot.

And each one is a different pastel color, some are bright red, and it just looks like you've gone back in time.

It just looks like an idyllic place to Visit.

It's no surprise that UNESCO actually declared it a world Heritage site back in 1995.

And what's interesting about this fishing town is it's also where the Bluenose, two tall ships still, still sails.

And the Blue Nose, like if you've ever seen the Canadian dime, the 10 cent piece that's, that's the original Blue Nose ship.

So that's sort of like a fun fact.

And it was first settled in 1750s by German, Swiss and French colonists.

And just, it's just a sort of a great, a great slice of history.

And the, the Bluenose that you see parked there is a replica that was built in the 1960s, but it still sails.

And it will alternate between Lunenburg and Halifax.

But you can actually book like a two hour trip to sail on.

And so you get to step aboard history itself.

It's a lot of fun.

Yeah, it sounds like fun.

So we started at the beginning talking about some of the oddities.

You talked about Magnetic Hill, which is this crazy place where there's an optical illusion.

It makes it look like your car is going uphill.

What are some of the other odd spots in the Canadian Maritimes?

One of the ones that just immediately come to mind are the bottle houses and gardens in Cap Edgemont in pei.

So basically you'll find a tavern, a chapel and a six gabled house that's made entirely of thousands of recycled glass bottles.

They were built in the 1980s.

So imagine thousands of recycled glass wine bottles that are embedded in the wall and then when you walk inside, the sunlight turns the rooms into sort of a rainbow kaleidoscope.

It's a little psychedelic and completely unique.

Definitely one of the oddest things I've ever seen.

And I hear the business is also for sale right now, so if anyone's interested.

Oh, gosh.

So it's a business.

I hope they, I hope they survive.

I remember going through the photos for that part of the book.

It was so hard to pick a photo because they all looked incredible.

I mean, it was such an interesting, unique ecosystem of houses.

And some beautiful gard too.

Yeah, yeah, absolutely.

Well, as you did in the book, I think you've brought the Canadian Maritimes to life.

Thank you so, so much, Barbara, for appearing on the Fromer travel show.

Thank you so much for having me.

It's been a real throw.

When we think about huge competitions, we think of the Olympics, we think of the Oscars, we think of maybe the Emmys or the Super Bowl.

But for restaurateurs and chefs, there's a bigger name than all of those.

And that name is the James Beard Awards.

I've always wondered what goes into figuring out who the best chefs are.

And so I've invited Dawn Padmore on the show.

She is the vice president of awards for the James Beard Association.

Hey, Dawn.

So nice to speak with you.

Hi, Pauline.

It's a pleasure to speak with you and to your listeners as well.

I'm really excited to unveil some mysteries around the James Beard Awards.

Yeah, we're going to get the backstage view.

I'm excited.

So for our listeners who may never have heard of the James Beard Awards, let's first tell them who James Beard was and a little bit about the awards when they were started and the scope of them.

Okay, that sounds great.

Well, James Beard was considered the dean of American cookery and was one of the vanguards of culinary and as well as media.

He was on TV and came up with Julia Childs who were best friends.

And after his death, a bunch of friends of his got together, including a Julia Child, and created the Kings Beer foundation, which is a nonprofit New York based national organization that celebrates American cuisine and the people behind it.

James Beard really educated Americans about celebrating our own cuisine, which is vast and wide.

James Beard Awards.

We just celebrated our 35th anniversary this year, which is kind of amazing.

And speaking of the Oscars, so many people refer to the James Beard Awards as the Oscars.

Oscars of the food world.

It's considered a hallmark of excellence for chefs, restaurateurs, hospitality people, beverage people, as well as food media.

Actually, we have a number of programs that fall on that.

Under that umbrella, we recognize exceptional talents as well as a demonstrated commitment to making efforts toward a culture where all can thrive.

The awards are a part of the larger work of the foundation for Diners.

Specifically, the Restaurant and Chef Awards really serve as a guide and have continued to serve as a guide to experience the landscape of cuisine in this country, from large markets to smaller, lesser known ones.

And that's really exciting.

Yeah, Well, I mean, when you think of the Oscars, you have awards for cinematography and you have awards for the best supporting actor and the best actor and best score.

And for the James Beard, you don't only give best restaurant in the country, you also break it down by region.

Right?

Right, that's correct.

We have separated the US into 12 regions that include all the states.

And I think what's so interesting and important about the James Beard Awards, among many wonderful recognition programs in this space, in the culinary space, is we really are the vanguard, our semi finalists, our nominees, our winners.

As I said, they showcase excellence across a full spectrum of American cuisine and food culture.

And what's so exciting is we're really always excited to see how our awards set the tone and.

And inspire so many lists nationwide.

We really are a marker of distinction.

And we have, as you were mentioning, Pauline, national awards like Outstanding Chef, Outstanding Restaurateur, Outstanding Restaurants, Outstanding Bar.

We have new beverage awards as well.

Outstanding Professional in Beverage as well as in cocktails.

And then we also have these regional awards for chefs throughout the country.

This is wonderful timing for us to be speaking today, because on October 1st, in about two weeks or so, we're going to kick off our annual open call for recommendations for the restaurant and Chef awards.

And what's great about this, it's pretty interactive.

So if you're a diner and you just love a particular restaurant or chef, you can submit a recommendation for the voting body to consider.

Industry members can also recommend themselves or their colleagues, and then the voting body can submit recommendations as well.

And at the end of all of that, the subcommittee will get together, look at the full list, and call it down to what we call our semifinals list.

And then they vote in the next round for the nominees.

And then we go to Chicago and on stage, announce the winners.

Well, I was going to ask how it was done, but there are tens of thousands of restaurants in the United States.

How many recommendations do you have to cull through?

Ooh, gosh.

A thousand or so.

Wow.

Quite a lot.

Quite a lot.

We have a large.

We have a subcommittee, and they also have judges that are across the country.

And we make efforts to ensure that every single, Excuse me, candidates is visited during the voting process so that we ensure that their cuisine and their hospitality has been experienced.

And it's all done secretly, huh?

So they don't know that a judge is visiting them.

It's just like a reviewer usually keeps their identity secret.

I certainly do when I'm reviewing restaurants, because.

Exactly.

I would say probably you are now seeing travelers going to specific cities and regions just to try the James Beard Award winners.

Right?

Yeah, it's true.

It's very, very true.

Our lists are wonderful.

They're very exciting.

They include names that maybe are, you know, more famous or popular, just historically speaking, ones that you might know.

And then really a revelation of chefs, restaurateurs, and cuisine that maybe you've never tried.

And that's what I love.

And that's what's so exciting about our list.

You can taste almost the entire world in this country.

And you can get down into the regionality, into the character of a community, the character of the chef, and there's, you know, their ethos.

It's wonderful.

It really is a reflection of what America is.

Yeah, absolutely.

I do have to ask.

When we're putting together a guidebook, we have rules for our writers.

We say to them we want them to review 20% really, really high end places because people like to splash out on vacation.

And 20% really, really cheap places.

You know, everybody wants to save money, especially when you're on the road and traveling, and the rest should be in the middle.

I think perhaps the misunderstanding about the James Beard Awards, and tell me if it is a misunderstanding, is that it only awards those really, really expensive tasting menu restaurants where you have to sit down for three hours and spend several hundred dollars for a meal.

Is that fair or unfair?

It's not accurate.

Okay.

Excellence comes in so many ways.

Right.

Flavor profiles, technique, and also in experience.

So you can look at our list, and you can go to a fine dining establishment, a tasting menu establishment, and you can also go to something that's sort of mid range, you know, counter service.

Maybe it's tasting as well.

You can also go to a barbecue place.

I mean, if you look at the history of the awards, you'll see quite an expansion, especially in the last few years, to include all of it, because all of it is a reflection of what American food culture is, and we're very proud of that.

Yeah.

When are the next batch of James Beard Awards coming out?

What's the date or what's the time?

Our semifinalists will be announced in January, toward the end of the month.

So please Visit us@jamesbeard.org to get to get those dates.

And then we will announce our nominees in the spring.

Usually it's March or early April.

And then in June, we'll be in Chicago for the 2026 awards.

Wow.

Okay.

And those establishments that get the awards, what is the effect on those businesses, would you say?

We call it the Beard bomb, but we have major impacts over the last three years.

For example, we collect this kind of data from our awards candidates.

A majority of our semifinalists, after the longest list that we put out, reported a significant increase in covers after the announcements.

Covers our reservations or reservations.

Thank you.

Exactly.

And, you know, I just want to mention that so many of our household names that we know as food lovers really were recognized quite early in the history of the awards.

I'll just name a few, please.

Daniel Boulud, Erica Marcus Samuelson Dominique Pren, Alice Waters.

Those are like huge figures.

Thomas Keller, Bobby Slay, who a lot of people know from his television career as well.

All of these folks have won James Butte awards.

All of them.

And we do believe that our awards have had an impact on their careers and the chefs who came under them.

I have a few fun examples to share with you and your listeners.

So, for example, this year, our guest chef from the Midwest, Karen Tomlinson, saw more than 300 new reservations within 24 hours.

Wow.

Which won for best chef.

Excuse me.

Best new restaurant.

Excuse me.

They were book solid for a month.

Ginju Patisserie, Fabulous Outstanding bakery in Portland.

They reopened when they got back to the.

After the awards to long, long, long lines.

In 2023, one of our outstanding bakery winners, Yoli Tortillaria in Kansas city, saw a 700% increase in business after the award for like a couple of days or so following their win.

Those are just a few examples that really can have an impact on a business.

Yeah, absolutely.

And God knows restaurants need help.

I in back in my acting days, I was a waitress on the side.

Every single place I worked has now got.

Went out of business sometimes while I was there.

It's a very, very difficult industry.

And so the James Beard Awards, you bless these businesses, you really can change a chef or a restaurateur's life.

Yeah, we really can.

I mean, it's very humbling, and it's very important to us just to put the awards within the context of the foundation.

We really are here as a platform that supports a culinary professional at every stage of their career.

We have programs to do that, resources, advocacy that's helped to strengthen and sustain this, as you said, Pauline, very challenging industry.

And we want to recognize the continued ongoing challenges within the industry and the broader food system.

Independent restaurants operate under intense pressure.

They always have, and it's even more intense.

These realities, though, exist.

You know, this is the fifth largest employer industry in this country.

Wow.

We encourage your listeners to dine out, support your community, support the culinary industry.

They make up the community.

They are important.

They are where we go to connect.

They are where we go for major milestones in our lives.

And they really are like other artists.

They reflect who we are and what we are.

It's very beautiful, frankly.

Absolutely.

And I have to say, as the author of the New York City book for many years, I've recommended the special dinners that are put on by the James Beard foundation, which are now being done in your platform.

Yes, platform.

Which is an.

It's a new space.

Yes, it is.

And you get the award winners to come in and cook a special meal.

And it really feels like going to the best dinner party ever because often there are past hors d' oeuvres and everybody mingles and drink drinks and then you sit down at your table and you have a multi course meal which usually is not more expensive than it would be at a regular restaurant.

That's right.

It's very special.

It's wonderful.

If you're in New York, you should definitely check out a platform by jbf.

And if you're wherever you are across the country, we have a series called Taste and a Greens program for food lovers 40 and under, 40 years old and under.

But you have that ability to experience James Beard Awards semifinalist or nominee or winner in their own space as well.

So not just in New York, but nationally as well.

And it's all wonderful.

It's very exciting.

Yeah, absolutely.

Well, dawn, it's been very exciting speaking with you.

Thank you so much for appearing on the Fromer Travel Show.

Thank you for having me and everyone listen out or look out jamesbeer.orgawards for submitting your favorite chef, restaurant or restaurateur.

And stay tuned.

Thank you so much, Pauline.

And that is it for this week's show.

I thank you so much for listening.

And to those who are traveling, may I wish you a hearty bon voyage.

Well, it's.