Become a Patron Member or renew your membership by October 31, and you’ll receive a gift card to use at dinners, classes, cocktail parties, and other events at @platformbyjbf! Check out the levels you can join or renew and what you'll get: 🏆 Benefactor/Champion/Leader ($2,500-$10,000): $200 gift certificate 🏅 Sustainer ($1,000): $150 gift certificate 🤝 Supporter ($500): $100 gift certificate 🫶 Friend/Industry Friend/Young Patron ($175-$250): $50 gift certificate Learn more at the link in bio!

Meet Erwan Heussaff (@erwan), the 2023 #JBFA Media Award winner of the Social Media Account category. Watch to learn more about Erwan’s work, and how it felt to get nominated for a James Beard Award. Are you also a content creator or social media influencer in the food industry? Submit your entry or recommendations for the 2024 James Beard Awards presented by @capitalone by Thursday, November 30 at 11:59 P.M. ET. Tap the link in our bio to get started.

On October 24, join the James Beard Foundation and BentoBox (@getbento) at the Beard House to celebrate National Restaurant Workers Day, a community-driven holiday to honor restaurant employees. This free event will feature a panel for restaurant workers on resources available for their professional development, mental and physical health, and more; breakfast bites; and time for networking. Panelists include Sean Feeney (@seanbfeeney) of Grovehouse, inaugural Beard House Fellow Nicole Merino (@nicolerino) of Zaytinya, and Caroline Schiff (@pastryschiff) of Gage & Tollner. Click the link in our bio to reserve your spot!

To help us close out Hispanic Heritage Month, we're highlighting one of co-founder of #jbfa-winning Yoli Tortilleria (@yolitortilleria) Marissa Gencarelli's (@marissagencarelli) favorite spots to celebrate in Kansas City: "Café Ollama (@ollamakc) is located in the former bus line “El Conejo” which had a line from Kansas City to Mexico. They kept several historical pieces including the ticket counter and the rest of the space is decorated with lively local Hispanic art. Owners Lesley Reyes and Francisco Murguia Jr. serve up lovely Mexican inspired coffees. I love going there with my kids and treating them to a Mexican soda flight with its fun flavors. Also, don’t miss out on all the events they host from Dia de los Muertos to Café de Olla contests are all so fun filled with music and vibrant art scene." We're grateful to all of our industry friends for sharing their favorite local restaurants with us throughout Hispanic Heritage Month and encourage everyone to continue supporting these independent restaurants all year.

We're back with some more businesses you should support during and beyond Hispanic Heritage Month! #JBFA winner Pati Jinich (@patijinich) told us about one of her favorites, La Newyorkina (@lanewyorkina): "Fany (@fanygerson) has an unbridled passion for bringing all the flavors, techniques, and stories of all things sweet in Mexico! From Pan Dulce to paletas to churros to chamoyadas, all she does has so much soul and you can taste it in each one of her products." You can also check out some of Fany's Mexican delicacies at Mijo (@mijo_nyc), located right by @platformbyjbf in Market 57 in NYC!

Looking for ways to support Hispanic-owned and/or -led independent restaurants during Hispanic Heritage Month? We asked chef Monti Carlo (@themonticarlo) where she's going to celebrate and here’s what she had to say: "This Hispanic Heritage Month, I would love for you to support my heroes, the chefs of Puerto Rico, who continue to overcome insurmountable odds to revitalize local agriculture, feed their community, and push La Cocina Criolla to a new level. Someone that's truly special is @luciapatisserie, who is based in San Juan. Lucia's pastries are the kind of delicious that has people forming hour-long lines outside of her bakery waiting for a buttery bite that becomes a scrumptious moment of zen. Don't miss her crispy and luscious mango tart or her breathtakingly light and tangy strawberry-lemon galette!"

Last week, we brought the 25th cohort of our Chef Bootcamp for Policy and Change together at Carnation Farms in Carnation, WA. This cohort—made up of 18 chefs from 12 states and the District of Columbia—largely focused on training and discussion around the next Farm Bill, which is set for renewal in the coming months. This Bootcamp was also the first to be organized around our newly launched policy agenda, which will guide our advocacy work through 2028. Learn more about our policy priorities by tapping the link in our bio. (📸: @ultraclay)

We are proud to announce the 30 Advisors and Advisees in the 2023-2024 Legacy Network cohort! This seven-month virtual program trains emerging BIPOC leaders across the culinary industry and connects them with future generations of excellence. Legacy Network participants become part of a powerful network that centers the professional growth of previously underserved communities. Click the link in our bio to meet our 2023-2024 cohort and learn more!

Throughout Hispanic Heritage Month, we've been asking industry pros in our network for recommendations on where they'll be celebrating. #jbfa semifinalist María Mercedes Grubb (@mariamercedesgrubb) shares why Puerta Del Mar (@restpuertadelmar) is her favorite place in Puerto Rico: "Puerta Del Mar is a quick, 15 minute drive from San Juan to Piñones. Like all the good humble cafeterias, it’s not really about the chef—they have amazing seasoned cocineras and wait staff that know your name. The food is just what you need on a beach day or when you want to escape for dinner by the beach front with fried fish and mofongo. I always start with a chicken pincho (kebab) chargrilled right in front of you and an alcapurria, a traditional Boricua root vegetable fritter stuffed with either ground beef or crab. The whole fish, mainly snapper, is perfectly marinated in adobo with a crispy skin and juicy flesh. My favorite way to chase it all is with a fresh cold coconut with a shot of local Ron Barrilito in it. I’ve been going to this hilltop spot since I was a kid with my parents, now I enjoy going on my days off with my kiddo Jack and my husband on that one early weekday off from the kitchen when they are not as busy. Jack is severely autistic so our lovely servers go above and beyond to make him feel comfortable and get us out of there fast. They know our order by heart and now so do you. It’s a must when in Puerto Rico." 📸 : EE Berger (@eeberger)

As Hispanic Heritage Month continues, we asked chefs and industry leaders in our network about how and where they'll be celebrating. Here's what #jbfa semifinalist and Chef Bootcamp alum Eric See (@erictheawkwardscone) had to say: "Chef Stephanie Bonnin is an artist and designer serving dishes inspired by the ancestral culinary traditions of her native Colombia. Her pop-ups and dinner residencies are such energetic representations of Colombian-Caribbean culture and the preservation of Indigenous Colombian foodways and if you go to one of her pop-ups it's always a party."

The entry and recommendation period for the 2024 James Beard Awards presented by @capitalone is officially open. We’re looking for chefs, creators, and culinary and food system leaders who could be the next James Beard Award winners! Whether you published a cookbook in the last year, own a restaurant, or advocate for food system change, we encourage you to submit your entries and recommend your talented colleagues. The deadline to submit entries for the Media Awards and recommendations for the Restaurant and Chef Awards and Leadership Awards is Thursday, November 30 at 11:59 P.M. ET. To learn more about the 2024 Awards programs—including categories, criteria, and deadlines—click the link in our bio!

We asked JBF Bootcamp alum Nelson German (@chefnel4) where he's going to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month and here’s what he had to say: "Parché (@parcheoak) is my favorite Latin-owned restaurant due to the fact that they create a whole beautiful experience that is a story of a deep-rooted culture from the minute you walk in, to the first drink dropped, to each delicious dish brought over and all the way to the end of the meal. Everything has a story behind it and it's explained by everyone who comes over, they make sure you feel connected. Just being there inspires the best memories of family for me." 📸 : Adahlia Cole