Humility and Gratitude from Best Chef Awardee
The short video of Erick Williams' James Beard speech is worth a couple of minutes
Chef Erick Williams’ Moving James Beard Speech
“I didn't get here of myself or by myself. I got here by way of my community, by way of my culture, by way of my family, and by way of the many trailblazers that were looked over and discounted that allowed me to have have a path and recipes and ingenuity and the confidence to produce food day in and day out that both feeds the heart, mind, spirit and soul.”
This was the heart of Chef Erick Williams’ speech upon receiving the James Beard Foundation Award for Best Chef: Great Lakes at Monday’s ceremony in Chicago. Erick is owner and executive chef at Virtue Restaurant and Bar, the highly touted dining spot in the Hyde Park neighborhood that features his Southern-style cuisine.
I took the video on my iPhone and while the audio quality is good, a few words might be lost to the copious applause Erick received. Nonetheless, this statement of humility and gratitude from one of our region’s culinary leaders is most definitely worth 2-1/2 minutes of your time.