And then there was the time when someone nominated me to judge the James Beard Foundation Awards

It's no secret -- there are a lot of guys named Nick Marino out there and for some reason everybody thinks we all share the same email address.

Last October, I was contacted by the good people at the James Beard Foundation. Apparently somebody nominated me Nick Marino to judge the journalism portion of their annual culinary awards.

Why'd I wait so long to share this mistaken identity gold with you? Because I wasn't sure if I was actually judging the awards until they finally announced this year's nominees last week!

Here was our exchange:


- Here's an edited PDF of my official letter and reply form.










That was the last I heard from the JBF. To be honest with you, I was kinda looking forward to being a judge. But I guess my gross food photography and profane enthusiasm just wasn't what they were seeking. 🙁

UPDATE 04.16.14: I received an unexpected invitation to the JBF Awards Gala in the mail today.

Hmmmm I'm pretty sure I never judged anything...