The James Beard awards are akin to the Grammys (music), Emmys (television) and Academy (film) awards, only for the independent restaurant and hospitality industry. The foundation, named in honor of the late-great chef James Beard, whose curiosity in American foodways and generosity toward other chefs and food writers inspired Julia Child to call for a way to honor him after his death in 1985. According to the JBF website, Beard’s friends and colleagues answered Child and purchased Beard’s Greenwich Village townhouse “to provide a center for the culinary arts and to continue to foster the interest James Beard inspired…..