Roger S. Berkowitz is the founder and Head Fishmonger/CEO of Roger’s Fish Co., an e-commerce company delivering premium quality seafood and prepared meals nationwide. He was formerly the President and Chief Executive Officer for 30 years of Legal Sea Foods, a Boston-based restaurant group along the northeast of the United States, before selling the family-owned business in 2020. He started working in the Legal Sea Foods fish market in the Inman Square section of Cambridge, Massachusetts at the age of ten and held a variety of roles before becoming President and CEO in 1992. He led the company's growth and diversification, overseeing 35 restaurants, retail and mail order divisions, and 4,000 employees.

The James Beard Foundation Awards are annual awards presented by the James Beard Foundation to recognize chefs, restaurateurs, authors and journalists in the United States. They are scheduled around James Beard's May 5 birthday. The media awards are presented at a dinner in New York City; the chef and restaurant awards were also presented in New York until 2015, when the foundation's annual gala moved to Chicago. Chicago will continue to host the Awards until 2027.