A Taste Of Seaside, Florida At The James Beard House

It was a lively scene last night at The Beard House, which brought chef Jim Shirley and team to NYC to share a "Taste of Seaside, Florida." Local media, James Beard Foundation members and Seaside locals—from notable architects pivotal to the Florida community's pioneering New Urbanist design to art gallery owners—were in attendance, mingling over Prosecco and passed plates like smoked ol' Florida mullet dip with housemade crackers, Sweet Home Farm Bayside Blue ravioli, fried Nine Mile Oyster Company oysters with mini biscuits and ham gravy, and fried green tomatoes with kimchi crackers.

Shirley, the owner of Seaside's Great Southern Café, 45 Central, Meltdown On 30A (an airstream food truck), and more, sought to highlight the unique character of North Florida cuisine by incorporating local ingredients and a diverse range of culinary influences.

The sit-down dinner portion consisted of five courses, each paired with wine. Highlights included a rich, creamy Faux Ya Ya (a shrimp and grits-like dish made with polenta, pancetta, and arugula) conceptualized by Shirley during time spent in Italy without access to the ingredients needed for a traditional shrimp and grits. The Faux Ya Ya was followed by hot and cold greens, a Panhandle cioppino with Choctawhatchee Bay crab tomato broth, and, to finish, Walton pecan bourbon baklava paired with spiked eggnog.