Congrats to the 2023 Media Award Nominees

Today, we are proud to announce the 2023 Media Award nominees in advance of the returning James Beard Awards® ceremonies presented by Capital One. We shared the full list of nominees during a live ceremony in New York City at Hudson River Park’s Pier 57—home to Platform by the James Beard Foundation, a new mission-driven educational and event space for outstanding culinary arts programming within the Pier’s newly launched Market 57 food hall. This year's winners will be announced at the Media Awards ceremony in Chicago on the campus of Columbia College Chicago on Saturday, June 3.

Check out the nominees below!

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2023 James Beard Foundation Book Award Nominees

Cookbooks and other non-fiction food or beverage-related books published in the United States in 2022 were elligible to enter the 2023 James Beard Book Awards.

Baking and Desserts
Books with recipes focused on the art and craft of baking pastries and desserts, both sweet and savory items, including ingredients, techniques, equipment, and traditions.

New European Baking: 99 Recipes for Breads, Brioches and Pastries
Laurel Kratochvila
(Prestel)

Tava: Eastern European Baking and Desserts from Romania & Beyond
Irina Georgescu
(Hardie Grant Books)
 
What's for Dessert: Simple Recipes for Dessert People: A Baking Book
Claire Saffitz
(Clarkson Potter)
 
Beverage with Recipes
Books with recipes focused on beverages, such as cocktails, beer, wine, spirits, coffee, tea, or juices.
 
The Bartender's Manifesto: How to Think, Drink, and Create Cocktails Like a Pro
Toby Maloney and Emma Janzen
(Clarkson Potter)
 
Cure: New Orleans Drinks and How to Mix 'Em from the Award-Winning Bar
Neal Bodenheimer and Emily Timberlake
(Abrams Books)
 
Wild Brews: The Craft of Home Brewing, from Sour and Fruit Beers to Farmhouse Ales 
Jaega Wise
(Kyle Books)
 
Beverage without Recipes
Books without recipes that focus on beverages, such as cocktails, beer, wine, spirits, coffee, tea, or juices; or books that cover these subject areas where recipes are not the focus of cooking.
 
Drinking with the Valkyries: Writings on Wine
Andrew Jefford
(Académie du Vin Library)
 
Exploring the World of Japanese Craft Sake: Rice, Water, Earth
Nancy Matsumoto and Michael Tremblay
(Tuttle Publishing)
 
To Fall in Love, Drink This: A Wine Writer’s Memoir
Alice Feiring
(Scribner)
 
Bread
Books with recipes focused on the art and craft of making bread, including ingredients, techniques, equipment, and traditions. 
 
Breadsong: How Baking Changed Our Lives
Kitty Tait and Al Tait
(Bloomsbury Publishing)
 
The Miller's Daughter: Unusual Flours & Heritage Grains: Stories and Recipes from Hayden Flour Mills
Emma Zimmerman
(Hardie Grant Books)
 
The Perfect Loaf: The Craft and Science of Sourdough Breads, Sweets, and More: A Baking Book
Maurizio Leo
(Clarkson Potter)
 
Food Issues and Advocacy
Books that include investigative journalism, food policy, deep dives, and critical analysis of the changing social landscape. 
 
Eating While Black: Food Shaming and Race in America
Psyche A. Williams-Forson
(University of North Carolina Press)
 
Gastronativism: Food, Identity, Politics
Fabio Parasecoli
(Columbia University Press)
 
Retail Inequality: Reframing the Food Desert Debate
Kenneth H. Kolb
(University of California Press)
 
General
Books with recipes that address a broad scope of cooking, not just a single topic, technique, or region.
 
The Cook You Want to Be: Everyday Recipes to Impress
Andy Baraghani
(Lorena Jones Books)
 
I Dream of Dinner (so you don't have to): Low-Effort, High-Reward Recipes: A Cookbook
Ali Slagle
(Clarkson Potter)
 
Sunday Best: Cooking Up the Weekend Spirit Every Day: A Cookbook
Adrienne Cheatham with Sarah Zorn
(Clarkson Potter)
 
International 
Books with recipes focused on food or cooking traditions of countries, regions, or communities outside of the United States.
 
Masala: Recipes from India, the Land of Spices
Anita Jaisinghani
(Ten Speed Press)
 
Mezcla: Recipes to Excite
Ixta Belfrage
(Ten Speed Press)
 
Mi Cocina: Recipes and Rapture from My Kitchen in Mexico: A Cookbook
Rick Martínez
(Clarkson Potter)
 
Literary Writing
Narrative nonfiction books, including memoirs, culinary tourism, investigative journalism, food advocacy, and critical analysis of food and foodways for a general audience. Includes memoir, biography, personal essays, culinary travel, and culture. 
 
California Soul: An American Epic of Cooking and Survival
Keith Corbin with Kevin Alexander
(Random House)
 
Savor: A Chef's Hunger for More
Fatima Ali with Tarajia Morrell
(Ballantine Books)
 
To Boldly Grow: Finding Joy, Adventure, and Dinner in Your Own Backyard
Tamar Haspel
(G.P. Putnam’s Sons)
 
Reference, History, and Scholarship
Includes manuals, guides, encyclopedias, and books that present research related to food or foodways.
 
A Place at the Nayarit: How a Mexican Restaurant Nourished a Community
Natalia Molina
(University of California Press)
 
Slaves for Peanuts: A Story of Conquest, Liberation, and a Crop That Changed History
Jori Lewis
(The New Press)
 
What a Mushroom Lives For: Matsutake and the Worlds They Make
Michael J. Hathaway
(Princeton University Press)
 
Restaurant and Professional 
Books written by a culinary professional or restaurant chef with recipes that may include advanced cooking techniques, or the use of specialty ingredients and professional equipment, including culinary arts textbooks.
 
Bludso's BBQ Cookbook: A Family Affair in Smoke and Soul
Kevin Bludso with Noah Galuten
(Ten Speed Press)
 
Please Wait To Be Tasted: The Lil' Deb's Oasis Cookbook
Halo Perez-Gallardo, Hannah Black, and Wheeler with Meshell Ndegeocello
(Princeton Architectural Press)
 
Turkey and the Wolf: Flavor Trippin' in New Orleans
Mason Hereford and JJ Goode
(Ten Speed Press)
 
Single Subject
Books with recipes focused on a single ingredient, dish, or method of cooking. Examples include seafood, grains, pasta, burgers, or canning. 
 
Masa: Techniques, Recipes, and Reflections on a Timeless Staple
Jorge Gaviria
(Chronicle Books)
 
The Miracle of Salt: Recipes and Techniques to Preserve, Ferment, and Transform Your Food
Naomi Duguid
(Artisan Books)
 
The Wok: Recipes and Techniques
J. Kenji López-Alt
(W. W. Norton & Company)
 
U.S. Foodways 
Books with recipes focused on the cooking or foodways of regions or communities in the United States.
 
Gullah Geechee Home Cooking: Recipes from the Matriarch of Edisto Island
Emily Meggett with Kayla Stewart and Trelani Michelle
(Abrams Books)
 
I Am From Here: Stories and Recipes from a Southern Chef
Vishwesh Bhatt
(W. W. Norton & Company)

Cookbook Hall of Fame
The Book Committee selects the honoree for this category. This award recognizes books that have significantly influenced the way we think about food and honored authors who possess an exceptional ability to communicate their gastronomic vision via the printed page. The Cookbook Hall of Fame winner will be announced at the Media Awards ceremony on June 3.

2023 James Beard Foundation Broadcast Media Award Nominees

2023 James Beard Foundation Journalism Award Nominees

The Journalism Awards recognize work covering food- or drink-related topics published—or self-published—in 2022.

Beverage
Recognizes distinctive style, thorough knowledge, plainspoken prose, and innovative approach in a single article on alcoholic or non-alcoholic beverages. 
 
“Lost in Translation — How Flavor Wheels and Tasting Tools Can Evolve to Speak with Global Beer Drinkers” 
Mark Dredge  
Good Beer Hunting  
 
“The Great Mezcal Heist”  
Emma Janzen  
Eater  
 
“Who’s Allowed to Make Sotol?”
B.E. Mintz  
Texas Monthly 
 
Columns and Newsletters 
Recognizes the work of an individual or team/group that demonstrates thought-provoking opinion and a compelling style on food- or drink-related topics. 
 
“The Case for the Supermarket Supershopper”; “A Maximalist New Wave for Instant Noodles”; “We All Scream for Asian American Ice Cream”  
Cathy Erway  
TASTE
 
“Tetelas Are the Tasty Triangles You Need to Try Right Now”; “Birria Is the Greatest Threat to Taco Culture—and Its Savior”; “Trompo Tacos Are So Much More Than Tacos al Pastor”  
José R. Ralat  
Texas Monthly
 
“Taking down a mammy complex”; “Decoding the Guild Guide”; “Seducing truckers with 'nanner pudding”  
Hanna Raskin
The Food Section
 
Craig Claiborne Distinguished Restaurant Review Award
Recognizes discerning criticism that contributes to the larger discourse on cuisine or restaurants. 
 
“Poncho’s Tlayudas, a window to Oaxaca, serves one of L.A.’s defining dishes”; “At Chinatown’s Pearl River Deli, the menu is always changing — and worth chasing”; “Anajak Thai is our 2022 Restaurant of the Year”  
Bill Addison
Los Angeles Times
 
“Vietnamese Food Goes Rogue at Portland’s Berlu”; “Kann Is Portland Monthly’s Restaurant of the Year: 2022”; “Michelin-Starred Chef Matthew Lightner Seeds Oregon’s Next Food Revolution at Okta”  
Karen Brooks  
Portland Monthly
 
“The most exciting new restaurant pop-up in Oakland is also its best-kept secret”; “After 33 years, an Indian food icon in Berkeley is better than ever”; “Stars like DJ Khaled and Steve Aoki have Bay Area restaurants now. They’re all uniquely terrible”  
Soleil Ho  
San Francisco Chronicle
 
Dining and Travel
Recognizes exemplary and comprehensive service journalism that relies on both critical voice and thorough research to bring a variety of dining options into perspective, whether in a single city, a region, or a country.

“Feasting on the NOLA Suburbs”  
Brett Martin  
Garden & Gun

“The I-95 exit-by-exit eating guide”; “Don't leave home without your I-95 eating guide”
Hanna Raskin  
The Food Section

“Best New Restaurants”
Elazar Sontag  
Bon Appétit 

Feature Reporting 
Recognizes excellence for engaging writing and in-depth reporting in food and/or drink features. 
 
“Trouble Brewing”
Charles Bethea  
The New Yorker
 
“The Last Oyster Tongers of Apalachicola”
David Hanson  
The Bitter Southerner  
 
“Blood Sweat & Tears”
Shane Mitchell
The Bitter Southerner  

Food Coverage in a General Interest Publication 
Recognizes excellence in food and/or drink writing, reporting, and presentation that demonstrates breadth and depth of coverage in a general interest site or print publication.
 
The Bitter Southerner  
 
Oxford American  
 
San Francisco Chronicle 

Foodways 
Recognizes the importance of culture and history in food journalism. Entries in this category explore the connection between what we eat and who we are, with an emphasis on reporting.

“Kimchi With a Side of Whale”  
Jennifer Fergesen  
Eater  
 
“The Elusive Roots of Rosin Potatoes”
Caroline Hatchett
The Bitter Southerner  
 
“Come Hell or High Water — Oysters, Brewing, and How the Come Yahs & Bin Yahs Could End Sea Level Rise in Charleston”
Jamaal Lemon
Good Beer Hunting 

Health and Wellness 
Recognizes excellence in food and/or drink-related health and wellness coverage. Entries explore a variety of topics that may include (but are not limited to) addiction, aging, chronic disease, diet, mental health, mind-body connection, nutrition, and reproductive health. 
 
“How the Supreme Court Decision Exacerbated the Dire State of Bar Industry Healthcare”  Betsy Andrews
SevenFifty Daily  
 
“Coffee vs. tea smackdown”; “What are ultra-processed foods? What should I eat instead?”; “The best foods to feed your gut microbiome” 
Anahad O'Connor  
The Washington Post
 
“When ‘Sir’ and ‘Ma’am’ Miss the Mark: Restaurants Rethink Gender’s Role in Service”
Rax Will
The New York Times
 
Home Cooking 
Recognizes excellence in service journalism with a practical focus for the home cook. The award honors imaginative and substantive entries that use fresh, innovative approaches—both written and visual—to illuminate cooking methods, ingredients, and recipes. 
 
“Chinese Scrambled Eggs With Tomato”  
Jenny Dorsey  
Serious Eats  
 
“How to Hot Pot: the Method (and the Madness) Behind Our Favorite Communal Meal”
Elyse Inamine with Jessie YuChen
Bon Appétit  
 
“Sour Power”
Lara Lee  
Food & Wine

Innovative Storytelling 
Recognizes excellence in food- and/or drink-related content that emphasizes photography, virtual reality, interactive design, or other forms of visual enhancement to tell a story. 
 
“How One New York City Restaurant Fought To Survive”
Crista Chapman, Gray Beltran, and Gary He
The New York Times
 
“Uneven Ground: Exceptional Black farmers and their fight to flourish in the South”
The Tennessean Staff
The Tennessean  
 
“Night Market” 
Thrillist Staff  
Thrillist  
 
Investigative Reporting 
Recognizes excellence in investigative reporting on environmental, political, business, or policy issues regarding food and/or drink. 
 
“The fight to keep little-known bacteria out of powdered baby formula”; “Formula shortage adds to financial crunch for farmworker families”; “Whistleblower report on baby formula didn’t reach top FDA food safety official” 
Jacob Bogage, Kimberly Kindy, and Laura Reiley
The Washington Post
 
“Animal Agriculture Is Dangerous Work. The People Who Do It Have Few Protections.”; “‘I Was Coughing So Hard I Would Throw Up’”; “Tyson Says Its Nurses Help Workers. Critics Charge They Stymie OSHA.”
Christina Cooke, Alice Driver, and Gosia Wozniacka  
Civil Eats
 
“Chef's Fable”; “Can This Farm Fix Agriculture If It Can’t Fix Itself?”; “Feed the Rich, Save the Planet?”  
Meghan McCarron  
Eater
 
Jonathan Gold Local Voice Award
Recognizes the work of an individual who engages readers through enterprising food and dining coverage, and whose work displays versatility in form, such as reviews, profiles, cooking, quick hits, and hard news reporting.  
 
“The Doughnut Kids Are All Right”; “The Subtle Brilliance of Pijja Palace, Silver Lake’s Indian Sports Bar”; “A Soul-Crushing Work of Staggering Genius”
Cathy Chaplin
Eater
 
“When I Feel Unmoored by Life, I Always Find My Way Back to Either/Or”; “At Mira’s East African Cuisine, One Family’s Iftar Traditions Take the Forefront”; “Why Isn’t There an Overdose Kit Stocked Behind Every Bar in Portland?”
Brooke Jackson-Glidden  
Eater
 
“How Black-owned vegan restaurants in West End prefigured Atlanta’s passion for plants”; “The Luxury Car Wash: Dog Spa, Hookah and Even Lamb Chops While You Wait”; “Eby Marshall Slack, an original staffer at Atlanta’s iconic Paschal’s restaurant, on building community”  
Mike Jordan  
Atlanta Magazine; The Wall Street Journal
 
MFK Fisher Distinguished Writing Award
Recognizes a single article of exceptional literary merit on the subject of food and/or drink published in any medium. 
 
“Sardine kofta in Palestine: A love story”
Maram Humaid  
Al Jazeera
 
“Feasting on the NOLA Burbs” 
Brett Martin
Garden & Gun
 
“Blood Sweat & Tears”
Shane Mitchell
The Bitter Southerner 

Personal Essay with Recipes
Recognizes excellence in an essay on any food and/or drink-related topic with recipes. 
 
“Coming to America: How One Family Preserved Their Culinary Traditions After Moving to the Midwest in the 1960s”
Lan Samantha Chang  
Food & Wine  
 
“In My 40th Year, I Finally Made Pita Bread”
Layla Khoury-Hanold  
Food52  
 
“Dog S#!t Dacquoise”
Diep Tran  
Food & Wine  

Personal Essay without Recipes
Recognizes excellence in an essay on any food and/or drink-related topic without recipes. 
 
“Slave Food and Other Insults”  
Dr. Cynthia R. Greenlee  
Oxford American  
 
“On Boba”
Kyla Wazana Tompkins 
The LARB Quarterly of the Los Angeles Review of Books  
 
“How These Chinese Doughnuts Helped Save My Refugee Family”
Jean Trinh
Los Angeles Times  

Profile 
Recognizes a single distinctive piece that brings to life the world of a chef, restaurateur, grower, producer, or other figure or group of significance to food and/or drink.
 
“Being Paula Camp”
Monica Eng  
Chicago 

“Tribe to Table”
Carolyn Kormann
The New Yorker
 
“The Sweetest Harvest”
Kayla Stewart  
Food & Wine 

Read the full press release here.

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The James Beard Awards are Presented by Capital One
 
Presented In Association with: Chicago O’Hare and Midway International Airports
 
Premier Sponsors: American Airlines, Acqua Panna® Natural Spring Water, Guinness, Hilton, HMSHost, and S.Pellegrino® Sparkling Mineral Water
 
Supporting Sponsors: Moët & Chandon and Skuna Bay Salmon
 
Reception Sponsors: Ecolab, Kendall College, and Windstar Cruises
 
Additional Support: Château d’Esclans, Kalamazoo Outdoor Gourmet, Tock, and VerTerra Dinnerware
 
Broadcast Partner: Intersport
 
Proud Hosts: Choose Chicago and Illinois Restaurant Association

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