Urbanspoon And The James Beard Foundation Collaborate

SEATTLE, May 4, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Urbanspoon, the leading mobile restaurant discovery application and reservation management system, and the James Beard Foundation, a non-profit organization whose mission  is to celebrate, nurture and preserve America's diverse culinary heritage and future, today announced a collaboration to promote further awareness of both organizations among the culinary community. Urbanspoon will support high-profile James Beard Foundation events and leverage James Beard Foundation Awards Content, enabling Urbanspoon users to make the most informed restaurant choices.

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"Urbanspoon has become a leader when it comes to making educated restaurant decisions on the go, and we are thrilled to have Urbanspoon's support of the James Beard Foundation," said Susan Ungaro, James Beard Foundation President. "Now, Urbanspoon users can select restaurants by James Beard Foundation Restaurant and Chef Award nominations and wins, bringing millions of new diners to restaurants in the James Beard family."

The multipronged partnership includes:

• Urbanspoon to be a James Beard Foundation Awards Sponsor: Urbanspoon will serve as a supporting sponsor for the James Beard Foundation Awards on May 7, 2012. The red-carpet event, held at Avery Fisher Hall, will feature an Urbanspoon lounge where guests can experience the latest Urbanspoon reservations technology firsthand.
• James Beard Foundation Restaurant and Chef Award Winners and Nominees Integrated into Urbanspoon App: Urbanspoon has integrated industry recognition from the James Beard Award Restaurant and Chef categories into its newly released iPhone app, which enables users to get the most comprehensive view of a restaurant experience. Diners can filter restaurants by 22 years of James Beard Award Restaurant and Chef Winners and Nominees in order to uncover well-known or hidden gems in their area.

"The James Beard Foundation is akin to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in the food world, and we couldn't be more honored to support their work and network of food service professionals," said Kara Nortman, SVP of Consumer Businesses, CityGrid Media. "In addition to helping drive awareness of the Urbanspoon brand among the best and most talented in the restaurant community, the partnership enables us to provide nominee and winner content from the past 22 years of the James Beard Foundation Awards data which will provide our users an even better and more informed restaurant discovery experience."

The newly re-launched Urbanspoon app for iPhone, complete with 22 years of James Beard winners and nominees, can be downloaded for free in the iTunes store: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/urbanspoon/id284708449

About Urbanspoon
Urbanspoon is a leading online local restaurant guide, aggregating restaurant content from across the Web including newspapers, professional food critics, bloggers and diners. Urbanspoon allows diners to make restaurant reservations through its online booking service, both on the Web and mobile. In addition, Urbanspoon offers restaurants Urbanspoon Rezbook - a complete reservation and table management system built to run on the Apple iPad. Urbanspoon is a subsidiary of CityGrid Media, LLC (www.citygridmedia.com), an IAC (NASDAQ: IACI) operating company, and is headquartered in Seattle, Washington.

About the James Beard Foundation
Founded in 1986, the James Beard Foundation is dedicated to celebrating, nurturing, and preserving America's diverse culinary heritage and future. A cookbook author and teacher, James Beard was a champion of American cuisine who helped educate and mentor generations of professional chefs and food enthusiasts. Today the Beard Foundation continues in the same spirit by offering a variety of events and programs designed to educate, inspire, entertain, and foster a deeper understanding of our culinary culture. These programs include educational initiatives, food industry awards, an annual national food conference, Leadership Awards program, culinary scholarships, and publications. In addition to maintaining the historic James Beard House in New York City's Greenwich Village as a "performance space" for visiting chefs, the Foundation has created a robust online community, and hosts tastings, lectures, workshops, and food-related art exhibits in New York City and around the country. For more information, please visit jamesbeard.org. You can find insights on food at the James Beard Foundation's blog Delights & Prejudices, become a JBF member at jamesbeard.org/join, like the James Beard Foundation on Facebook, and follow the James Beard Foundation on Twitter and Pinterest.

Media Contact:
Jenny Davis for Urbanspoon
Dotted Line Communications
Phone: 925-935-2558
[email protected]

SOURCE Urbanspoon