Taste America is a national program of events created by the James Beard Foundation that initially launched in 2007. After a short hiatus, Taste America re-launched in 2013, highlighting 10 cities across the country. af&co. has been the sole producer of the San Francisco event since its inception and in 2014 was brought on by the Foundation to produce the Taste America Los Angeles event. We were charged with creating high-profile signature events that serve to raise scholarship dollars as well as increase national awareness of the foundation’s activities. More than 250 guests attend the events while the top chefs, sommeliers and mixologists from each city participate annually. We handle all aspects of the event from programming and concepting to sponsorship, marketing, public relations and production. Each year af&co. has exceeded financial expectations and the dinners in San Francisco and Los Angeles have become anticipated by the culinary communities in both markets..