SCETV’s Vivian Howard of “A Chef’s Life” has won Outstanding Personality/Host in the 2016 James Beard Foundation awards. The TV series follows Howard as she searches for Southern family recipes and heirloom foods to use in new ways for the two restaurants she runs with husband Ben in Kinston, N.C. Directed by Cynthia Hill, the Peabody and Emmy-winning program is presented nationally by SCETV and is in production for its fourth season on PBS.
The James Beard Foundation, the culinary industry’s most prestigious recognition program, honors the nation’s top cookbook authors, culinary broadcast producers and hosts, and food industry journalists. Nominees and guests gathered at an exclusive celebration dinner, hosted by James Beard Award winner Ming Tsai, on Tuesday, April 26, at Pier Sixty at Chelsea Piers in New York City. Howard has been previously invited to the Beard House, where chefs are invited to “perform” by presenting lunches, brunches, workshops, and dinners to Foundation members and the public.