As American cuisine continues to evolve, the James Beard Foundation strives to recognize talent in every corner of the culinary world, from restaurant professionals to the ever-expanding realm of food media.
When our entry period opened for the 2015 Awards season, submitters saw a few new categories on the ballot. One was Outstanding Baker, which was introduced to honor professionals outside of the restaurant dessert camp. “JBF has long wanted to recognize the artisan baking movement that has reached every part of the country, with bakers milling their own heirloom grains, making their own sourdoughs, and bringing authenticity and variety that might never have existed here before,” says journalist and Restaurant and Chef Awards committee member Corby Kummer. “With the new Outstanding Baker award, we can now celebrate bakers and pastry chefs who work outside of restaurants or operate bakeries alone.”
The Foundation’s Book, Broadcast, & Journalism Awards have established two new honors under the Broadcast Media umbrella: Podcast; and Visual and Technical Excellence. Per Emerald Yeh, chair of the Broadcast Media committee: “These new categories have yielded many exciting entries: Visual and Technical Excellence attracted an array of talented producers, photographers, and editors who are devoted to the visual expression of food as art, while our Podcast entries reflect a range of fun and serious food-based discussions."
The James Beard Foundation Book, Broadcast, & Journalism Awards will be held at New York City’s Pier Sixty at Chelsea Piers on April 24. Restaurant and Chef Award winners will be announced at the James Beard Awards Gala at Lyric Opera of Chicago on May 4.
Read all 2015 Awards coverage here.
Anna Mowry is senior editor at the James Beard Foundation. Find her on Twitter and Instagram.
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