Latest news with #Beards
Miami Herald
27-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Miami Herald
Carnival Cruise Line shares update on loyalty program
Carnival Cruise Line probably did not expect the level of anger its new loyalty program caused with its passengers. The cruise line shared a program that eliminated lifetime loyalty levels that was based on dollars spent, not nights stayed. Many cruisers saw that as a money grab. Related: Carnival Cruise Line suddenly cancels sailing Others were simply crushed that they had spent years, decades in some cases, building up loyalty status only for the new program to not recognize that. Carnival Brand Ambassador John Heald had no say in creating the new program. He has, however, spent most of his time answering questions about it since it was released and he admits he does not have all the answer. Heald also has shared that the Beards, his term for Carnival leadership, will be examining the program. He recently shared a letter to explain everything he knows and what's happening next. Be the first to see the best deals on cruises, special sailings, and more. Sign up for the Come Cruise With Me newsletter. Heald shared a letter on his popular Facebook page on June 26: Heald may not have all the answers, but he remains an ally to Carnival passengers. He serves as their link to upper management and he takes that job very seriously. In addition, Heald deals with near-endless insults, often over things he has no control over. Sign up for the Come Cruise With Me newsletter to save money on your next (or your first) cruise. Over 1,500 people commented on Heald's post. Many were kind to him, but angry about the changes. "Booked my first Royal cruise for next year. It's not bye bye permanently,I just am now open to trying all lines," Helena Hall wrote. Rene Chapman was more harsh. "Carnival said 'you get what you get and you'll be happy about it,'" she wrote. Not everyone was kind to Heald. "I dont like that you keep saying a year, as if hoping we will forget. Almost makes me think the Beards want us to forget about it completely, posted Baxter DeBerry. Beth Sanders Young wants to believe the company will do the right thing in the end. "I think many of us are holding our breath hoping that the beards have realized how a big chunk of the loyal customer base feels about this and they are busy revamping it so that it remains a 'loyalty' program with an added rewards program for those who can spend the big bucks (or at the very least grandfathering us in). Most of us are grateful for you and what you do everyday, even when the going gets tough," she wrote. (The Arena Group will earn a commission if you book a cruise.) Make a free appointment with Come Cruise With Me's Travel Agent Partner, Postcard Travel, or email Amy Post at amypost@ or call or text her at 386-383-2472. Copyright 2025 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Axios
17-06-2025
- Business
- Axios
Birdie's Arjav Ezekiel takes home James Beard
Birdie's co-owner and wine pro Arjav Ezekiel beat out talent from across the country to take home a prestigious James Beard Award on Monday. Why it matters: The Beards are like the Oscars for the American hospitality industry, and win can be a huge boost in business for restaurants. Driving the news: Ezekiel won in the new Outstanding Professional in Beverage Service category. It's one of three new categories focused on beverages at the James Beard Awards. What they're saying:"It feels like a big win for our city," Ezekiel told Axios at the ceremony in Chicago. "I think people assume Austin is a cocktail city, but we're very fast becoming a wine city." Between the lines: Birdie's continues to be a standout in Austin's culinary scene, and Ezekiel was Austin's only finalist at this year's awards. The restaurant's chef and co-owner, Tracy Malechek-Ezekiel, was a finalist in the Best Texas Chef category last year. Zoom out: Houston's Belly of the Beast chef Thomas Bille nabbed the title of Best Chef in Texas, beating out four other finalists in the regional category.
Axios
17-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Axios
James Beard Award D.C. winner: Causa and Amazonia
Chef Carlos Delgado of Shaw's Causa and Amazonia won Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic at the James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards in Chicago on Monday night. Why it matters: The Beards are big time — the Oscars of the American hospitality industry. Zoom in: Since opening in Blagden Alley in 2022, the Peruvian tasting counter and pisco bar has drawn loyal fans. It was previously a finalist for the Beard's "Best New Restaurant" award in 2023, and has also earned a Michelin star. Catch up quick: D.C. chefs, restaurants and hospitality groups were strongly featured among the 2025 semifinalists, with nearly 20 nominees across ten categories. Finalists included: Flashback: D.C. swept last year's Beard Awards, with major wins in national categories including Albi's Michael Rafidi for Outstanding Chef, and Rising Star winner Masako Morishita of Perry's.
Eater
17-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Eater
Seattle Chefs and Restaurants Miss Out at the 2025 James Beard Awards
Womp womp. For the fifth year in a row, Seattle took home a goose egg at the James Beard Awards. The Beards are the country's most prestigious food world prizes, often compared to the Oscars. (Like the Academy Awards, there's a swanky ceremony attended by cultural luminaries.) Every year Seattle chefs and restaurants earn some sort of recognition from James Beard judges in the form of semifinalist nods and nominations. In 2025, three Seattle-area chefs and restaurants scored nominations: Atoma for Best New Restaurant, Archipelago for Outstanding Hospitality, and Jay Blackinton of Houlme on Orcas Island for Best Chef: Northwest and Pacific Region. While it's true what they say, it is an honor to be nominated, none of the three wound up winning. This constitutes something of a drought for the city. In the 2010s a few Seattle chefs won Beards in the Northwest and Pacific category, most recently Brady Williams in 2019 (when the Tomo owner was still working at Canlis). In 2020 Rupee won a Beard for its design, and that same year Oriental Mart won an America's Classics Award, which are given out through a separate process. Since then, however, there's been nada. For a full list of James Beard Award winners from 2025, go here. Disclosure: Some Vox Media staff members are part of the voting body for the James Beard Awards. Eater is partnering with the James Beard Foundation to livestream the awards in 2025. All editorial content is produced independently of the James Beard Foundation. See More:
Eater
17-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Eater
Two Chicago Nominees Bring Home 2025 James Beard Awards
Chicago's hospitality industry didn't leave empty-handed this year. Celebrated West Loop Japanese bar Kumiko and chef Noah Sandoval of Oriole leave the awards tonight with medals. Kumiko was named the 2025 winner for Outstanding Bar, a category that included lauded bars Scotch Lodge, the Lovers Bar, Water Witch, and Wolf Tree. Owner Julia Momosé accepted the award on behalf of her team at the Restaurant and Chef Awards Gala on Monday, June 16, at the Lyric Opera in Chicago. 'Kumiko was born from a belief that hospitality could be quiet, precise, and powerful, that a bar could feel like a conversation,' she said. In addition to thanking her entire team by name, she thanked her parents, to whose 'love and generosity live in every plate and every glass we serve at Kumiko.' Continuing with the theme throughout the Beards weekend, which coincided with massive protests against ICE and the Trump administration, Momosé also spoke to the tensions surrounding immigration and deportation in the United States: 'Even in celebration, I can't help but think about what's going on outside our industry. These privileges are not guaranteed. At Kumiko, we remember every day that we are children of immigrants. Anyone who ever felt they don't belong in this world, you do.' Noah Sandoval of Oriole won in the category Best Chef: Great Lakes, where he was nominated alongside fellow Chicagoans Thai Dang of HaiSous Vietnamese Kitchen, Chris Jung and Erling Wu-Bower of Maxwells Trading. While he wasn't present at the awards, a message was read on his behalf that noted he was focusing on his mental health and had elected not to attend, and concluded by saying, 'Fuck ICE.' Other notable Chicagoans also presented and appeared at the awards, including chef Rick Bayless, Stephanie Izard, Mayor Brandon Johnson, and Gov. JB Pritzker. Galit was nominated in the Outstanding Restaurant category, but the award went to Frasca Food and Wine in Boulder, Colorado. Disclosure: Some Vox Media staff members are part of the voting body for the James Beard Awards. Eater is partnering with the James Beard Foundation to livestream the awards in 2025. All editorial content is produced independently of the James Beard Foundation. See More:
