Meet the 2015 Profile Journalism Award Nominees

In the age of the celebrity chef, it seems more important than ever before to discover the person behind the branded set of cookware. The nominees for the James Beard Journalism Award for profile offer insights into some of our largest marquee names, digging beneath the glitz and glamor to humanize these titans of industry.

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John Birdsall
Eater
“Jeremiah Tower's Invincible Armor of Pleasure”

John Birdsall chronicles the rise and fall of California-cuisine legend Jeremiah Tower on the eve of his return to the restaurant scene. [Image shown above]

Taffy Brodesser-Akner
Matter
“The Leftovers: Paula Deen and the Martyrdom Industrial Complex”

Taffy Brodesser-Akner cruises with Paula Deen, where she discovers the undeniable charm of the Southern cooking icon, and enduring power of her brand in the wake of scandal.

Dana Goodyear
The New Yorker
“Élite Meat”

Dana Goodyear chews the fat with Anya Fernald, founder and C.E.O. of Belcampo, a company hoping to change our carnivorous consumption by producing meat that is as humane and as delicious as possible, no matter what the cost.

Read all 2015 Awards coverage here.