COURTESY OF REED COLLEGE
An engaging new documentary by Beth Federici tells the story of how James Beard, Portland’s prodigal son and gastronomic leviathan, rose from his origins as an upper-middle-class mama’s boy, to the first TV food star, to the It Man of the culinary party scene of 1950s New York. James Beard: America’s First Foodie, the latest installment in PBS’ American Masters series, details Beard’s life and legacy—a legacy that includes 20 cookbooks and lives on in the James Beard Awards, one of America’s most highly coveted culinary recognitions.