Wednesday, August 21, 7:00 P.M.
Members $85, guests $110

Like James Beard, his friend for more than 20 years, John Bennett knows how to throw a party. His past dinners at the Beard House have included show tunes, elaborate flowers and decorations, and such Oklahoma prairie delicacies as wild boar, antelope, and many kinds of “fries.” Bennett, now the consulting chef of Newton’s Steakhouse & Grille, was also in charge of the very first Beard Awards Gala. It’s all part of the Bennett philosophy: “if it’s worth doing, it’s worth overdoing.” Over the years, he has attracted a list of friends that reads like our Who’s Who: Beard, M.F.K. Fisher, Julia Child, Albert Stöckli, Alan Lewis, Joe Baum, and Alan Reyburn. It was Bennett’s friend Jacques Pépin who first recommended Bennett cook at the Beard House in a glowing letter to Peter Kump: “Some of the best food that I’ve had in America has been at his house.”

Bennett started at Oklahoma University (he has dedicated this evening’s cocktail to their football team, the Big Red), but left to study at the CIA, when his passion for food overwhelmed him. It was there that Bennett met Beard. After graduation, Bennett studied with Dione Lucas, before going on an European tour of top hotels and restaurants. Back in the States, he was made chef of the Cellar Restaurant in Oklahoma City. Bennett moved to San Francisco to work at the renowned Jack’s Restaurant, where his elegant cooking and larger-than-life parties frequently landed him in the social columns. Bennett returned to Oklahoma, worked at a string of elite restaurants and ran his own catering company. He also developed a line of seasonings and served as chef for the TV show PM Magazine.

Bennett will be cooking at the Beard House with friend Robert Dickson, “the singing chef” of Robert’s in Charleston, who has dazzled past Beard audiences with renditions of “Oklahoma” and “Food, Glorious Food.” Dickson’s daughter, Marielena Dickson, Bennett’s nephew Chip Sear, and friend Clint Smith will also be helping out. Another friend, artist LeRoy Neiman, will be on hand to sketch the evening’s events. The evening will close when Bennett donates some of his collection of prized silver to the Beard House.