Heritage Radio Network and Full Service Radio were at the scene at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History Food History Gala as chef Rick Bayless was presented with the second ever Julia Child Award from the Julia Child Foundation for Gastronomy and the Culinary Arts. HRN Producer-at-Large Jack Inslee spoke with chef Rick Bayless and Eric W. Spivey, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Julia Child Foundation. Tune in to hear how Julia influenced Rick's career and what the award means to him!

from the Julia Child Foundation website:

Many Americans may know Rick Bayless from winning the title of Bravo’s Top Chef Masters, beating out the French and Italian with his authentic Mexican cuisine or from his highly rated Public Television Series, Mexico–One Plate at a Time, which wrapped its 11th season. In 2012, Rick was nominated for a Daytime Emmy for Best Culinary Host.

Rick has written nine cookbooks. His second book, Mexican Kitchen, won the International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) cookbook of the year award in 1996, and his fourth book, Mexico–One Plate at a Time won James Beard Best International Cookbook of the Year award in 2001. Fiesta at Rick’s spent a number of weeks on The New York Times' bestseller list.

Rick’s side by side award-winning restaurants are in Chicago. The casual Frontera Grill was founded in 1987 and received the James Beard Foundation’s highest award, Outstanding Restaurant, in 2007. The 4-star Topolobampo served its first meals in 1991. The wildly popular, LEED GOLD-certified, fast-casual Xoco has been around since 2009, serving wood-oven tortas, steaming caldos, golden churros and bean-to-cup Mexican hot chocolate. Rick’s quick-service Tortas Frontera have changed the face of food service at O’Hare International Airport, while Frontera Fresco has brought Frontera flavors to several Macy’s stores and Northwestern University. In May 2016, Rick opened Leña Brava and Cruz Blanca Cervecería.

His award-winning Frontera line of salsas, cooking sauces and organic chips can be found coast to coast.

Rick and his staff established the Frontera Farmer Foundation in 2003 to support small Midwestern farms. Each year, grants are awarded to farmers for capital improvements to their family farms, encouraging greater production and profitability. To date, the Foundation has awarded nearly 200 grants totaling nearly $2 million. In 2007, Bayless and his team launched the Frontera Scholarship, a full tuition scholarship that sends a Mexican-American Chicago Public School student to Kendall College to study culinary arts.

In 2007 Rick was awarded Humanitarian of the Year by the IACP for his many philanthropic endeavors. Rick has received a great number of James Beard Award nominations in many categories, and he has won seven: Midwest Chef of the Year, National Chef of the Year, Humanitarian of the Year, Who’s Who of American Food and Drink, Best Podcast, plus two for his cookbooks. The Government of Mexico has bestowed on Rick the Mexican Order of the Aztec Eagle–the highest decoration bestowed on foreigners whose work has benefitted Mexico and its people.

Rick recently played a sold-out 5-week run on stage at Chicago’s Looking Glass Theatre, where he created “Cascabel” – offering theater goers the story of a meal, told through flavor, memory, song, dance and amazing physical feats.