Debevoise represented The James Beard Foundation (JBF) in entering into a lease at the newly-renovated Pier 57 in New York City’s West Chelsea neighborhood. This transaction marks a substantial expansion of JBF’s physical footprint and offers innovative community impact opportunities for JBF to achieve its important mission of making America’s food culture more delicious, diverse and sustainable for all.

JBF opened Market 57, a brand-new culinary experience at Pier 57, on April 1, 2023. Within Market 57, JBF will operate Platform by JBF, a modern showcase kitchen and educational space that will be used to host rotating chefs-in-residence and provide dining experiences and culinary arts programming. As the anchor tenant of Market 57, JBF will also operate Good To Go by JBF, an incubator for fast-casual concepts featuring rotating menus from established operators who embody JBF’s mission and values. For more information, please see the press release.

The Debevoise team was led by real estate partner Nicole Levin Mesard and associates Alexander Djaha and Matthew Mrozek, and included intellectual property associates Tigist Kassahun and Emily MacKay and law clerk Clara Geffroy, litigation associate Taylor Booth, restructuring counsel Nick Kaluk, and environmental counsel Stuart Hammer.

Debevoise has proudly supported JBF since 2006, providing more than 7,500 hours of pro bono legal services in areas including contracts, real estate, corporate governance, data privacy, employment law and intellectual property.