For the first time in its 30-year history, the James Beard Foundation’s annual Awards program—long viewed as the Oscars of the food industry—will not name any winners in 2020. The decision comes as the food industry continues to suffer the grave consequences of the coronavirus pandemic, which has caused most restaurants across the United States to close their doors and furlough workers. The Foundation cites substantial and sustained upheaval caused by the pandemic, which has created an environment in which they believe assigning awards will do little to further the industry in its current uphill battle.

“We didn’t come to this decision lightly,” says James Beard Foundation CEO Clare Reichenbach. “The uncertainty of this time for our industry is already a hard reality and considering anyone to have won or lost within the current tumultuous hospitality ecosystem does not in fact feel like the right thing to do. In short, an honor which we know is held in high regard, at the moment, felt minor when compared to the dire situation we’re in.” Reichenbach also announced plans for the Foundation to address and rectify industry-wide inequities after conversations about racial justice have driven calls for change in the food industry.

A ceremony planned for September 25, which will be broadcast live on Twitter, will instead celebrate previously announced honorees and focus on storytelling surrounding the historic challenges the food industry faced this year. The Foundation will also forgo its traditional Awards in 2021, instead toasting industry leaders who’ve made a significant impact within their communities. “As we strive to provide an Awards program with the highest ethical standards, we know that the right move is to step back and take stock of the nominees’ and honorees’ achievements,” says Reichenbach. “We look forward to bringing the Awards back when the industry is once again ready for them.”

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Will Choui has fine-tuned a system of evolving, transforming, and repeating two-dimensional geometric shapes and sheet material into bold, skeletal forms to create unconventional furniture that, in his words, “do what they have to do and nothing else.” Each piece in the RISD graduate’s growing portfolio carries an air of optimism and elegance, a result of the intense purity achieved by being utterly streamlined and stripped down to the essentials.

When: Until Aug. 30

Where: Pace Gallery, East Hampton

What: For the past few months, Arlene Shechet has been busy searching for joy during a time of extraordinary upheaval. Instead of creating works that reflected her own darkening mood during the early days of the pandemic, she decided to make things that reflected what she needed: color therapy. The results are intimate, bust-like sculptures that marry form with seductively textured applications of color achieved through a newly discovered glazing technique, signifying a sense of hope.

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Surface Says: Upholding the reputation of Swiss craftsmanship, Studio Seitz calls upon traditional techniques to create pieces of a distinctive, modern simplicity. Balancing form and function, the objects please with both their performance and appearance, from a sleek wooden dresser to a stoneware dog bowl.

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