Aside from the usual hubbub of chef, cookbook, and restaurant awards doled out at last night's James Beard Foundation awards at the Marriott Marquis (more on those later—the winners are here), a little surprise came near the end. Two presenters thanked and acknowledged longtime awards producer Melanie Young of M. Young Communications for her role in the success of the foundation, then introduced Young's boyfriend, David Ransom (who's employed by Young at her firm), who beckoned her on stage and proposed marriage.
The other surprise of the evening: Young announced that after 16 years, she will no longer produce the awards. An M. Young spokeswoman told us that following the appointment of its new board of trustees, the foundation is taking the production of the awards in-house. Neither Young nor foundation chairwoman Dorothy Cann Hamilton, nor foundation president Susan Ungaro were available for comment today.
Posted 05.09.06
The other surprise of the evening: Young announced that after 16 years, she will no longer produce the awards. An M. Young spokeswoman told us that following the appointment of its new board of trustees, the foundation is taking the production of the awards in-house. Neither Young nor foundation chairwoman Dorothy Cann Hamilton, nor foundation president Susan Ungaro were available for comment today.
Posted 05.09.06
