2014 First-Class Forever Stamp,Celebrity Chefs: James Beard

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U.S. #4925

2014 49¢ James Beard

Celebrity Chefs

This stamp is part of a set of five that features men and women who introduced America to regional and international cooking. The other stamps picture Julia Child, Joyce Chen, Edna Lewis, and Felipe Rojas-Lombardi.

In 1937, as a failed actor with a love of fine cuisine, James Beard (1903-1985) opened Hors d’Oeuvre, Inc. to cater to the New York City cocktail party culture. Within a few years, Beard had published his catering recipes in his first cookbook. From there, he was on the road to culinary fame.

After WWII, Beard adapted his theater skills for television, appearing on the NBC cooking show I Love to Eat. By the 1950s, he had become a TV personality, starring in his own show. He was soon the leading chef in the United States.

Within the next decade, Beard had published his first ten cookbooks and established James Beard Cooking Schools in both New York and his home state of Oregon. He traveled across the country teaching at these schools as well as others. Beard encouraged using fresh, wholesome American ingredients, waging a personal war against the Jell-O molders of mid-century America.

A master chef, author, actor, and television personality, James Beard lives on through his writings and the James Beard Foundation. Through his legacy, the culinary wizard once dubbed “Dean of American Cuisine” by Julia Child, continues to educate and inspire generations of professional chefs.

Jason Seiler created the digital illustrations for the Celebrity Chefs stamps. The images were made to look like oil paintings.

49¢ Celebrity Chefs, issued to satisfy the first-class mail rate

Issue Date: September 26, 2014

City: Chicago, IL, as part of the Chicago Gourmet food and wine celebration

Quantity: 4,000,000

Category: Commemorative

Printed By: Ashton Potter (USA) Ltd.

Printing Method: Lithographed printing in sheets of 180 with nine panes of 20 per sheet

Perforations: Serpentine Die Cut 11 X 10 ¾

Self-adhesive