Devon Quinn accepted to Beard bootcamp

Traverse City-born chef Devon Quinn has been picked for the James Beard Foundation’s spring 2026 Chef Bootcamp for Policy and Change. (jamesbeard.org) (record-eagle.com) The James Beard Foundation said 19 chefs will gather May 3-5 at Carnation Farms in Carnation, Washington, for the program’s 30th bootcamp. Quinn is listed in the cohort as chef of Eden Restaurant and Paramount Events in Chicago. (jamesbeard.org) (edeninchicago.com) Chef Bootcamp is not a cooking competition. The foundation describes it as a three-day workshop in policy, media training, and food-system advocacy for chefs who want to work on issues beyond their kitchens. (jamesbeard.org) The foundation said the program has run since 2012 and has trained hundreds of chef-advocates. It says alumni have lobbied on school meals, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program protections, fisheries, food waste, and regenerative food production. (jamesbeard.org) Quinn’s selection puts a northern Michigan native into a national group the foundation says is chosen for advocacy, sustainability, and food-system work. The spring 2026 cohort includes chefs from cities including Honolulu, Seattle, Houston, Baltimore, Los Angeles, and Montreal. (jamesbeard.org) In Chicago, Quinn is a partner and chief culinary officer of The Paramount Group, which includes Eden and Paramount Events. Company and media profiles describe him as a chef focused on seasonal menus, local sourcing, and produce grown in an on-site greenhouse. (theparamountgroupchicago.com) (wttw.com) Eden said Quinn plans to use the bootcamp to push its sustainability work further. The James Beard Foundation’s participant list places him in a program built to turn chefs into advocates as well as operators. (edeninchicago.com) (jamesbeard.org)