Ranchers Club Chef to be featured in New York City

Friday, May 21, 2010

Dunham to cook at the James Beard House

Marc Dunham, the Chef de Cuisine at the Ranchers Club on the Oklahoma State University campus, will be demonstrating his culinary skills as a guest chef at the James Beard House in New York City this summer.

The James Beard Foundation hosts a variety of events with the intentions of educating, inspiring, entertaining and fostering appreciation for American cuisine. Dunham will be featured during a dinner event on July 15.

“We are honored and humbled to be representing the Ranchers Club, the Atherton Hotel, the School of Hotel and Restaurant Administration, the College of Human Environmental Sciences and OSU,” Dunham said. “My team has been working diligently and passionately for the past two years to improve what we do here. This is a testament to them and their work.”

A scholarship dinner prior to the Beard event is being hosted by the School of Hotel and Restaurant Administration at 6:00 p.m. on June 26. Funds from the dinner will support HRAD student scholarships. Tickets are $150 which includes food, wine, tax and gratuity. To make reservations please call the Ranchers Club at 450-744-2333.

“The event in New York is open to the public and OSU has tickets available,” said David Davis, clinical instructor and general manager of the Atherton Hotel and Ranchers Club. “We are pleased to offer the tickets to the Beard House event as scholarship contributions.” For more information about tickets for the July 15 dinner at Beard House, contact Jason Roberts at 405-744-7189.

Originally from Texas, Dunham began his position at the Ranchers Club in 2008. Since then, he said he has revamped the restaurant’s menu, staff and atmosphere to make the Ranchers Club feel more like home. Also on the chef’s list of achievements is the popular “Play With Your Food” cooking show he has been filming since last September. The short episodes show viewers how to prepare simple, delicious meals using fresh ingredients.

“I feel very blessed to live and work with such a supportive family here at OSU,” Dunham said. “The opportunities that have been presented to me are extraordinary. I could not be more thankful.”

HRAD Director and Associate Professor Bill Ryan said the faculty, staff and students of the department are excited and honored at the invitation from the James Beard House.

“This opportunity is an excellent example of how HRAD fulfills the land grant mission of Oklahoma State University through innovative instruction, discovery of new ideas, and outreach to the world,” Ryan said.

Known as the “dean of American cookery,” James Beard welcomed students, authors, chefs, and other food and beverage professionals into his home, putting his kitchen at the heart of the 20th century food scene in America. After Beard’s death in 1985, a group of his friends purchased his townhouse from the estate and in 1986, the James Beard Foundation held the official opening of the James Beard House. According to a press release from that day, the group’s goal was “to provide a center for the culinary arts and to continue to foster the interest James Beard inspired in all aspects of food, its preparation presentation, and of course, enjoyment.”

Today, the James Beard Foundation hosts workshops, classes, conferences, readings, and other educational experiences that help people learn about and engage with food. The Foundation provides scholarships to culinary students in need, invites chefs from around the world to participate in events at the House and abroad, and administers the James Beard Foundation Awards to honor professionals in the food and beverage industry.

“Being able to be a part of such a revered industry institution as the James Beard House and appreciating his legacy is a treat for any chef and restaurant,” Davis said. “I am very proud of Chef Marc and the team of professionals he has assembled to lead the Ranchers Club. They embody everything that is right and good about our industry.”

For more information regarding the Beard event or ways to support and partner with the Ranchers Club please call David Davis at 405-744-0300.