Jam Beard: The closeted gay life of the man behd the award

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Gays have been associated wh the rative and the performg arts—fashn, terr sign, hair and makp, dance, opera and mil theater—almos ...

Contents:

JAM BEARD: THE CLOSETED GAY LIFE OF THE MAN BEHD THE AWARD

In 1938, he met and moved wh Jam Barlow Cullum Jr., a gay divorcé who me om iron and steel money and had a large apartment on Washgton Place. “For affluent gay men New York Cy” at the time, “private cktail gathergs — apartment parti — were their primary pots of ntact.

” The book ntaed regnal recip, like one for a Texas lemon ke om a gay iend of Beard’s who had moved om the untry to New York Cy. As such, was also “a kd of secret rerd of 20th century gay migratn to ci om across the untry” that was both celebratory and had an unrlyg sadns, Birdsall wr.

Birdsall, a wrer and former chef whose work foc on queer fluence Amerin food and homophobia the culary world. S., those ias arrived through whe male gatekeepers like Beard, the New York Tim food edor Craig Claiborne and the members of the We and Food Society of New York, a group then domated by wealthy gay chefs who now scribe their food as “new Amerin” owe somethg to Beard, though most know him only as the face stamped on the culary medals btowed annually by the foundatn named for him.

A DEEPER, DARKER LOOK AT JAM BEARD, FOOD ORACLE AND GAY MAN

Birdsall lls the “msy” parts of his are sad, msy parts: the childhood ridicule Beard suffered bee of his size, the expulsn om llege bee of a sgle sex act, the anxiety he lived wh as a gay celebry when g out was Man Who Ate Too Much: The Life of Jam BeardAnd there are troublg, msy parts: plagiarizg and takg cred for other people’s recip, acceptg paid endorsements for products that he did not always believe , and exposg himself to and fondlg young men who hoped for his profsnal support. The first public airg of his gay inty was trmatic: In his hman year at Reed College, he was ught by his roommat a sexual enunter wh a profsor, and summarily expelled — a double huiatn that he never entirely revered expelled om Reed meant effectively beg banished om home — albe wh a wi soc-enomic safety .

He sailed for Europe, disvered the gay unrground London and Paris, moved to New York and began his food reer the 1930s, terg parti thrown by Manhattan’s gay and art-world Joel/Getty ImagEven as he beme nfint and succsful, Beard always rried shame about his size; 6 feet 3 ch tall, he often weighed more than 350 pounds adulthood. Zimmern’s father, a succsful advertisg executive, me out as gay and moved to Greenwich Village wh his partner the late Malosh for The New York Tim.

JAM BEARD AND THE JOYS AND PAS OF GAY INTY

When he was growg up the 1920s and '30s, gay people were ostracized om pole society and had to hi their ner liv om the public. As huiatg as this was, nsirg Oregon laws at the time stipulated gay men uld be strated agast their will (via Portland Monthly), uld certaly have been worse.

JAM {LOR:#595959;FONT-FAY:GILROY,HELVETI,ARIAL,SANS-SERIF;FONT-WEIGHT:600;MARG-BOTTOM:0.625REM;}@MEDIA(MAX-WIDTH: 48REM){{FONT-SIZE:0.875REM;LE-HEIGHT:1.2;}}@MEDIA(M-WIDTH: 48REM){{FONT-SIZE:1.25REM;LE-HEIGHT:1.2;}} A{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN-THICKNS:0.0625REM;TEXT-RATN-LOR:HER;TEXT-UNRLE-OFFSET:0.25REM;LOR:HER;-WEBK-TRANSN:ALL 0.3S EASE--OUT;TRANSN:ALL 0.3S EASE--OUT;} A:HOVER{LOR:#A00000;TEXT-RATN-LOR:BORR-LK-BODY-HOVER;}JAM BEARD WAS A OKBOOK THOR AND CHEF WHO CELEBRATED AMERIN CUISE AND ENURAGED G H, SEASONAL {MARG-BOTTOM:0.625REM;PADDG-RIGHT:0.3125REM;LOR:#323232;FONT-FAY:GILROY,HELVETI,ARIAL,SANS-SERIF;FONT-SIZE:0.75REM;LE-HEIGHT:1;FONT-WEIGHT:800;} SPAN{LE-HEIGHT:1.6;FONT-FAY:GILROY,HELVETI,ARIAL,SANS-SERIF;}{FONT-STYLE:NORMAL;PADDG-RIGHT:0.3125REM;FONT-FAY:RALAS,GEIA,TIM,SERIF;LOR:#323232;FONT-SIZE:0.75REM;LE-HEIGHT:1.3;FONT-WEIGHT:BOLD;TEXT-TRANSFORM:PALIZE;}{PADDG-RIGHT:0.3125REM;FONT-FAY:RALAS,GEIA,TIM,SERIF;LOR:#323232;FONT-SIZE:0.75REM;LE-HEIGHT:1.3;FONT-WEIGHT:BOLD;TEXT-TRANSFORM:PALIZE;}BY {DISPLAY:LE-BLOCK;TEXT-TRANSFORM:UPPERSE;MARG-LEFT:0.625REM;FONT-FAY:GILROY,HELVETI,ARIAL,SANS-SERIF;FONT-SIZE:0.75REM;LE-HEIGHT:1;FONT-WEIGHT:800;}PUBLISHED: JUL 18, {DISPLAY:-WEBK-BOX;DISPLAY:-WEBK-FLEX;DISPLAY:-MS-FLEXBOX;DISPLAY:FLEX;}{MARG-BOTTOM:0.9375REM;POSN:RELATIVE;}@MEDIA(MAX-WIDTH: 64REM){{MAX-WIDTH:LC(100VW - (1REM * 2));MARG-LEFT:1REM;MARG-RIGHT:1REM;} .E152U5OS0{WIDTH:100VW;MARG-LEFT:LC(-1 * 1REM);}}@MEDIA(M-WIDTH: 48REM) AND (MAX-WIDTH: 61.25REM){{MARG-LEFT:TO;MARG-RIGHT:TO;} .E152U5OS0{WIDTH:100VW;MARG-LEFT:LC((100VW - (LC(20.625REM * 2 - 1REM) - 2 * 1REM)) / -2);}}@MEDIA(M-WIDTH: 61.25REM) AND (MAX-WIDTH: 90REM){{MAX-WIDTH:LC(20.625REM * 2 - 1REM);MARG-LEFT:LC((100VW - LC(20.625REM * 2 - 1REM) - 1REM - 20.625REM) / 2);PADDG-LEFT:1REM;PADDG-RIGHT:1REM;} .E152U5OS0{WIDTH:100VW;MARG-LEFT:LC(LC((100VW - LC(20.625REM * 2 - 1REM) - 1REM - 20.625REM) / -2) - 1REM);}}@MEDIA(M-WIDTH: 90REM){{MARG-LEFT:LC((100VW - LC(20.625REM * 2 - 1REM)) / 2);MAX-WIDTH:LC(20.625REM * 2 - 1REM);PADDG-LEFT:1REM;PADDG-RIGHT:1REM;} .E152U5OS0{WIDTH:100VW;MARG-LEFT:LC(LC((100VW - LC(20.625REM * 2 + 1REM)) / -2) - LC(2 * 1REM));}[DATA-HAS-SPONSOR] {MARG-LEFT:LC((100VW - LC(20.625REM * 2 - 1REM)) / 4);MARG-RIGHT:LC((100VW - LC(20.625REM * 2 - 1REM)) / 4);}}{JTIFY-SELF:CENTER;POSN:RELATIVE;}@MEDIA(MAX-WIDTH: 48REM){{MARG-LEFT:-50VW;MARG-RIGHT:-50VW;WIDTH:100VW;LEFT:50%;RIGHT:50%;}}{HEIGHT:TO;}@MEDIA(MAX-WIDTH: 48REM){{MARG:TO LC(50% - 50VW);}}@MEDIA(M-WIDTH: 48REM){{MARG:TO;}}{POSN:RELATIVE;HEIGHT:TO;}{POSN:RELATIVE;WIDTH:100%;HEIGHT:100%;OBJECT-F:VER;VERTIL-ALIGN:TOP;}{LE-HEIGHT:1;MARG-TOP:0.3125REM;}@MEDIA(MAX-WIDTH: 73.75REM){{PADDG-LEFT:0.9375REM;}}@MEDIA(M-WIDTH: 64REM){{PADDG-LEFT:0;}}{PADDG-RIGHT:0.3125REM;LOR:#595959;FONT-FAY:GILROY,HELVETI,ARIAL,SANS-SERIF;FONT-SIZE:0.75REM;LE-HEIGHT:1;FONT-WEIGHT:800;}GETTY {FONT-FAY:CHARTER,GEIA,TIM,SERIF;FONT-SIZE:1.1875REM;LE-HEIGHT:1.6;PADDG-LEFT:0REM;PADDG-RIGHT:0REM;POSN:RELATIVE;}@MEDIA(M-WIDTH: 48REM){{PADDG-LEFT:3.5REM;PADDG-RIGHT:3.5REM;}}@MEDIA(M-WIDTH: 48REM) AND (MAX-WIDTH: 61.25REM){{MAX-WIDTH:45.25REM;MARG-LEFT:TO;MARG-RIGHT:TO;}}@MEDIA(M-WIDTH: 61.25REM){{PADDG-LEFT:0REM;PADDG-RIGHT:0REM;}}@MEDIA(M-WIDTH: 73.75REM) AND (MAX-WIDTH: 100REM){{PADDG-LEFT:0REM;PADDG-RIGHT:0REM;}}@MEDIA(M-WIDTH: 90REM){{PADDG-LEFT:0REM;PADDG-RIGHT:0REM;}} EM{FONT-STYLE:ALIC;FONT-FAY:CHARTER,GEIA,TIM,SERIF;} STRONG{FONT-FAY:CHARTER,GEIA,TIM,SERIF;FONT-WEIGHT:BOLD;}{CLEAR:BOTH;NTENT:" ";DISPLAY:BLOCK;FONT-SIZE:0.7REM;LE-HEIGHT:1.5REM;HEIGHT:0REM;VISIBILY:HIDN;}{FONT-FAY:CHARTER,GEIA,TIM,SERIF;FONT-SIZE:1.1875REM;LE-HEIGHT:1.6;} STRONG{FONT-FAY:CHARTER,GEIA,TIM,SERIF;FONT-WEIGHT:BOLD;} EM{FONT-STYLE:ALIC;FONT-FAY:CHARTER,GEIA,TIM,SERIF;}(1903-1985){LOR:#323232;FONT-FAY:GILROY,HELVETI,ARIAL,SANS-SERIF;FONT-WEIGHT:800;LETTER-SPACG:0.02EM;MARG-BOTTOM:0.625REM;MARG-TOP:0.625REM;}@MEDIA(MAX-WIDTH: 48REM){{FONT-SIZE:1.875REM;LE-HEIGHT:1.1;}}@MEDIA(M-WIDTH: 48REM){{FONT-SIZE:2REM;LE-HEIGHT:1.1;}}@MEDIA(M-WIDTH: 64REM){{FONT-SIZE:2REM;LE-HEIGHT:1.1;}} B, STRONG{FONT-FAY:HER;FONT-WEIGHT:BOLD;} EM, I{FONT-FAY:HER;FONT-STYLE:ALIC;}WHO WAS JAM BEARD?AMID THE {-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN-THICKNS:0.0625REM;TEXT-RATN-LOR:HER;TEXT-UNRLE-OFFSET:0.25REM;LOR:#A00000;-WEBK-TRANSN:ALL 0.3S EASE--OUT;TRANSN:ALL 0.3S EASE--OUT;}{LOR:#595959;TEXT-RATN-LOR:BORR-LK-BODY-HOVER;}RISG POPULARY OF TV DNERS AND NVENIENCE FOODS, JAM BEARD HIGHLIGHTED THE IMPORTANCE OF HLY OBTAED, HIGH-QUALY GREDIENTS. (THE NEW YORK TIM LABELED HIM THE "DEAN OF AMERIN COOKERY.") BEARD THORED MULTIPLE OKBOOKS THAT ELEVATED THE PERCEPTN OF AMERIN OKG, THOUGH HIS WORK ALSO RELIED ON GHOSTWRERS AND ED SOME RECIP WHOUT CRED. BEARD'S OTHER ACPLISHMENTS CLU A SUCCSFUL OKG SCHOOL AND NSULTG FOR RTRANTS LIKE THE FOUR SEASONS. HE ALSO HELPED HIS IEND JULIA CHILD BY SUPPORTG HER WORK. BEARD DID NOT PUBLICLY ACKNOWLEDGE THAT HE WAS A GAY MAN, BUT CLOSE ASSOCIAT KNEW OF HIS SEXUALY. HE DIED 1985 AT THE AGE OF 81. TODAY, BEARD IS PRIMARILY REMEMBERED FOR THE JAM BEARD FOUNDATN, WHOSE AWARDS ARE NSIRED THE PNACLE OF ACHIEVEMENT FOR PROFSNALS THE RTRANT WORLD.WHEN WAS JAM BEARD BORN?JAM ANDREWS BEARD WAS BORN TO MARY ELIZABETH JON AND JOHN BEARD ON MAY 5, 1903, PORTLAND, OREGON. EARLY LIFEBEARD'S MOTHER, WHO HAD PREVLY OWNED AND OPERATED A BOARDG HOE, WAS AN EXCELLENT OK WHOSE CULARY SKILLS AND PREFERENC FLUENCED HER SON'S SENSIVE PALATE. BEARD LATER WROTE OF HIS MOTHER, "SHE LOVED TO OK, EAT AND TALK FOOD MORE THAN ALMOST ANYONE ELSE I HAVE KNOWN."JUE LET, AN IMMIGRANT OM CHA, WORKED AS A OK THE BEARD HOEHOLD. HE FOLLOWED BEARD'S MOTHER'S RECIP BUT ALSO PREPARED DISH LIKE NGEE FOR BEARD.SUMMER SEASI VATNS MA BEARD A FAN OF OREGON SEAFOOD.EDUTNIN 1920, BEARD GRADUATED OM WASHGTON HIGH SCHOOL PORTLAND. HE PROCEED TO REED COLLEGE, WHERE HE BEME CLASS TREASURER AND WAS ST OPERAS.AFTER HIS LIAISON WH A MALE PROFSOR WAS UNVERED, BEARD WAS EXPELLED OM SCHOOL.EARLY CAREER AS A PERFORMERAFTER THE PAFUL EPISO OF HIS EXPULSN, BEARD STUDIED VOICE LONDON AND PARIS. THE TRIP OVERSEAS ALSO EXPAND HIS CULARY HORIZONS. HE THEN SPENT THE 1920S AND EARLY '30S TRYG TO BUILD A REER AS A PERFORMER.BEARD WORKED THEATRIL PRODUCTNS NEW YORK CY AND PORTLAND AND AS A RAD ANNOUNCER PORTLAND. HE HAD A FEW SMALL PARTS FILMS DURG THE SILENT ERA. HE STUDIED SCENIC AND STUME SIGN AT CARNEGIE TECH BUT FOUND NO JOBS DURG THE GREAT DEPRSN.CULARY CAREERIN NEW YORK CY DURG THE LATE 1930S, BEARD REALIZED HE NEED A NEW REER PATH. WH HIS CULARY SKILLS, HE -FOUND THE TERG PANY HORS D'OVRE, INC. WH SIBLGS BILL AND IRMA RHO. HORS D'OVRE, INC. WAS A GREAT SUCCS AND WAS FOLLOWED BY BEARD'S OKBOOK HORS D’OVRE AND CANAPéS (1940). THE BOOK DID NOT ACKNOWLEDGE HIS -FOUNRS' NTRIBUTNS BUT DID RPORATE THEIR RECIP.DURG WORLD WAR II, BEARD SERVED AS A CRYPTOGRAPHIC SPECIALIST THE UNED SEAMEN'S SERVICE. FOLLOWG HIS DISCHARGE 1943, HE RETURNED TO NEW YORK CY AND FOOD. IN 1946, HE HOSTED THE FIRST NATNALLY TELEVISED OKG SHOW.IN HIS WORK, BEARD SHARED HIS GENUE APPRECIATN FOR AMERIN CUISE (THOUGH HE TEND TO PREFER DISH WH EUROPEAN HERAGE). HE WROTE A OKBOOK FOR OUTDOOR OKG, A SUBJECT OTHERS DISDAED. OTHER BEARD BOOKS NTAED REGNAL RECIP AND DISH LIKE RNBREAD AND POTATO SALAD.THE JAM BEARD COOKG SCHOOL WAS FOUND 1955. IN 1960, THE SCHOOL BEGAN TO OPERATE OUT OF BEARD'S TOWNHOE GREENWICH VILLAGE, AND HE ALSO TRAVELED AROUND THE UNTRY TO TEACH. SOME PEOPLE WAED FOR YEARS TO ATTEND BEARD'S CLASS, WHICH VERED TOPICS SUCH AS SOUFFLéS, OMELETS, BREAD MAKG AND DNER PARTI.IN 1959, BEARD LLABORATED WH RTRATR JOE BM TO LNCH NEW YORK CY'S FOUR SEASONS RTRANT. OTHER RTRANTS HE NSULTED FOR CLU THE WORLD TRA CENTER'S WDOWS ON THE WORLD. BEARD ALSO HAD HIS OWN RTRANT ON NANTUCKET.THOUGH BEARD PREFERRED H, SEASONAL GREDIENTS, HE WAS WILLG TO PROMISE. WHEN OZEN FOOD PANY BIRDS EYE BEME A SPONSOR FOR HIS TELEVISN SHOW, HE CREATED RECIP WH OZEN GREDIENTS. HE ALSO ADVERTISED OZEN VEGETABL OM GREEN GIANT.WRGBEARD WROTE A SYNDITED LUMN, NTRIBUTED TO MAGAZ AND THORED 22 OKBOOKS HIS LIFETIME. HIS MANCRIPTS OFTEN NEED TO BE HEAVILY EDED, AND SOME FEATURED GHOSTWRERS. BEARD EVEN PILFERED RECIP HIS WORK. HOWEVER, MANY OF HIS OKBOOKS BEME SEMAL PARTS OF AMERIN FOOD CULTURE. HIS WORK CLUS:COOK IT OUTDOORS (1942)THE FIRI COOK BOOK (1949)THE JAM BEARD COOKBOOK (1959)DELIGHTS AND PREJUDIC (1964), A MEMOIR THAT RPORATED RECIPJAM BEARD’S AMERIN COOKERY (1972)BEARD ON BREAD (1973)BEARD ON PASTA (1983)SEXUALYBEARD RERD REMISCENC WHICH HE STATED, "BY THE TIME I WAS 7, I KNEW THAT I WAS GAY." HE ME OUT TO HIS MOTHER AS A YOUNG MAN. HOWEVER, BEARD'S LIFETIME BEG OPENLY GAY ULD HAVE ED HIS REER AND POTENTIALLY RULTED ARRT OR STERILIZATN.AFTER HIS EXPULSN OM REED COLLEGE FOR HIS SAME-SEX LIAISON, BEARD EXPLORED THE GAY UNRGROUND SCENE EUROPE DURG THE 1920S. HE WENT ON TO HAVE A LONGSTANDG RELATNSHIP WH PASTRY CHEF GO COFACCI. BEARD ALSO MA OVERTUR TO SOME YOUNG MEN WHO SOUGHT HIM OUT A PROFSNAL PACY.WHEN BEARD PASSED AWAY, HE WAS WORKG ON A MEMOIR THAT REVEALED HIS SEXUALY.HEALTH COMPLITNSBEARD STOOD AT 6-FOOT-3 AND WEIGHED UP TO 350 POUNDS AS AN ADULT. IN 1971, HE SUFFERED A HEART ATTACK. HE SUBSEQUENTLY WENT ON A LOW-LORIE, NO-SALT DIET TO MANAGE THE SYMPTOMS OF HEART DISEASE. HIS THE NEW JAM BEARD (1981) NTAED SOME OF THE RECIP.WHEN DID JAM BEARD DIE?BEARD DIED ON JANUARY 21, 1985, NEW YORK CY. THE E OF ATH WAS HEART FAILURE. HE WAS 81 YEARS OLD. LEGACYREED COLLEGE, WHICH GRANTED BEARD AN HONORARY GREE 1976, RECEIVED BEARD'S OKBOOK LLECTN AND A LARGE PORTN OF HIS TATE AFTER HIS ATH; THIS HELPED SUPPORT THE JAM BEARD SCHOLARSHIP FUND.THE NON-PROF CYMEALS-ON-WHEELS, WHICH BEARD -FOUND 1981, NTU TO PROVI FOOD FOR HOMEBOUND SENRS NEW YORK CY.TO HONOR BEARD'S NTRIBUTNS TO FOOD CULTURE, JULIA CHILD AND OTHER IENDS TABLISHED THE JAM BEARD FOUNDATN AND PURCHASED BEARD'S TOWNHOE, WHICH OFFICIALLY OPENED AS THE JAM BEARD HOE 1986.THE FIRST JAM BEARD FOUNDATN AWARDS WERE PRENTED 1991. THE AWARDS, OFTEN SCRIBED AS THE OSRS OF THE FOOD WORLD, HONOR ACPLISHMENTS FOOD JOURNALISM, TN AND BEYOND BUT ARE BT KNOWN AS ONE OF THE HIGHT ACHIEVEMENTS ATTAABLE FOR CHEFS. THE AWARDS WERE NCELED 2020, PART, TO ADDRS NCERNS OVER JUDGG BIAS. THE 2021 CEREMONY HIGHLIGHTED HOW THE RTRANT DTRY PED DURG THE COVID-19 PANMIC.IN ADDN TO HIS FOUNDATN AND BOOKS, BEARD HAS BEEN THE SUBJECT OF SEVERAL BGRAPHI AND THE PBS DOCUMENTARY JAM BEARD: AMERI'S FIRST FOODIE (2017). BEARD WAS ALSO PORTRAYED THE HBO MAX SERI 'JULIA.'{BORR:0;BORR-BOTTOM:TH SOLID BLACK;MARG:1.875REM 0;CLEAR:BOTH;}QUICK FACTS

Unable to return home wh his head held high — anti-gay sentiments were prevalent at the time — he went abroad at his mother's goadg. Birdsall and I discsed one of Beard’s many inti: his ght life as a gay man, a theme the book that Birdsall exam wh a jeweler’s exactg and lovg gaze.

The terview was eded for clary and Lucky Peach article, “Ameri, Your Food Is So Gay, ” published 2013, set the stage for your reflectns on Jam Beard (and won a Beard award — meta). And wrg “Ameri, Your Food Is So Gay, ” was really the first time that I unrked the bottle and let myself feel all of . I wasn’t ed to thkg about this way but gay people were really an opprsed mory — there was a btal system of opprsn.

AUTHOR JOHN BIRDSALL ON JAM BEARD'S GAY INTY AND OREGON ROOTS

I’m thkg of the summer 1956 when Jam [who was Spa to work on what beme an aborted book on we] sneaks away to Barcelona and meets up wh a iend om the Stat who is gay, and they have dner at a rtrant lled Los Caral. ” There are the cultural assumptns about younger gay men, and he had to work hard to tablish credibily.

Somethg unrlyg that moment seemed credibly backward: After everythg that’s happened the gay civil rights movement and evolvg nscns and marriage equaly, we’re still a backward place. I do thk Ted Allen is a much more tertg figure — an out gay food personaly who wrote for Esquire, had a male voice but not an exclively queer voice, who uld speak to straight men as well. I thk the cleart picture I got of Jam at his most relaxed and fortable and gayt was a first-hand acunt through Andrew Zimmern.

It end up beg an endnote the book, but Zimmern’s father, Robert, was gay and divorced Andrew’s mom early his was wh a man, Andre, for 40 or 45 years, until Andre died. But Andrew said that his mol of stable, lovg relatnships were the gay upl he enuntered durg Sunday bnch while Jim Beard was pullg breast of veal roasted a pper pan out of the was even able to nnect how improved the food life of New York Cy. Jam talked about the joy of fdg credible, diverse okg all around you if you knew where to me that really tells the story of the way gay people nstcted liv ci — and how they celebrated those liv wh stori.

IS THERE A GAY APPROACH TO COOKG? THIS PRIVATE CHEF THKS SO. 

His work clus:Cook It Outdoors (1942)The Firi Cook Book (1949)The Jam Beard Cookbook (1959)Delights and Prejudic (1964), a memoir that rporated recipJam Beard’s Amerin Cookery (1972)Beard on Bread (1973)Beard on Pasta (1983)SexualyBeard rerd remiscenc which he stated, "By the time I was 7, I knew that I was gay. However, Beard's lifetime beg openly gay uld have ed his reer and potentially rulted arrt or his expulsn om Reed College for his same-sex liaison, Beard explored the gay unrground scene Europe durg the 1920s. Behd his dozens of okbooks and his thorative stat as “The Dean of Amerin Cookery, ” Portland-born food wrer Jam Beard hid the fact that he was gay, a facet of his life known only to his ner circle and hidn for years even after his ath.

Author and former chef John Birdsall wr that before Beard died 1985, he entsted iend and fellow okbook thor Marn Cunngham “to clear out and stroy any last crimatg papers [his] hoe—anythg gay, an discreet letter he might have overlooked and failed to stroy himself—a stray magaze, somethg to trouble his legacy or embarrass his iends. He also discs Beard’s expulsn om Reed College for havg an affair wh a male profsor 1921, at a time when anti-gay sentiment was rampant Portland and a gay man uld be forcibly sterilized unr Oregon law.

THE PLAY’S THE THG NEW BOOK ‘GAYS ON BROADWAY

On his cisn to foc on Jam Beard: It started wh a piece I wrote for Lucky Peach prt magaze 2013 lled “Ameri, Your Food Is So Gay, ” [about] the hidn, unacknowledged fluence of closeted gay food wrers the 20th century. I wanted to know how Beard’s experience as a gay man who had to be really reful about his inty, what that did to his food sce his food was acknowledged at the time as the qutsential Amerin food. Gays have been associated wh the rative and the performg arts—fashn, terr sign, hair and makp, dance, opera, and mil theater—almost as long as the inty label has existed.

*BEAR-MAGAZINE.COM* WAS JAMES BEARD GAY

Author John Birdsall on Jam Beard's 'tortured life' as a gay chef .

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