The James Beard Foundation announced the winners of its 2012 awards for best cookbooks and food-related TV shows.
The big winner in books was Modernist Cuisine (The Cooking Lab, 2438 pages) by Nathan Myhrvold with Chris Young and Maxime Bilet, which won the "cookbook of the year" award and the "cooking from a professional point of view" prize.
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The six-volume, 2,4000-page, forty-seven-pound, $450 behemoth goes inside the science of cooking to look at everything from simple techniques--boiling versus steaming--to complex processes involving centrifuges, emulsifiers and enzymes.
Myhrvold, the former Chief Technology Officer at Microsoft, who has become a noted foodie since leaving the company in 1991, spearheaded the lavishly-illustrated book project, hiring a team of thirty-six people to help him. Despite its size and weight, he reports sales of over 45,000 copies since the book debuted in 2011.
The well-received The New York Times bestselling-memoir Blood, Bones & Butter: The Inadvertent Education of a Reluctant Chef (Random House, 320 pages) by Gabrielle Hamilton won the "writing and literature" prize. Anthony Bourdain described Hamilton's journey from a childhood in rural Pennsylvania to becoming one of the most celebrated chefs in America as, "Simply the best memoir by a chef ever. Ever.”
In the television awards, HBO's A Matter of Taste: Serving Up Paul Liebrandt won for best documentary/special. The Food Network's Chopped hosted by Ted Allen won for best studio program. Allen also won for media personality.
See the complete list of winners below.
Cookbook of the Year
Modernist Cuisine
by Nathan Myhrvold with Chris Young and Maxime Bilet
(The Cooking Lab)
Cookbook Hall of Fame
Laurie Colwin
Home Cooking and More Home Cooking
American Cooking
A New Turn in the South: Southern Flavors Reinvented for Your Kitchen
by Hugh Acheson
(Clarkson Potter)
Baking and Dessert
Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams at Home
by Jeni Britton Bauer
(Artisan)
Beverage
Bitters: A Spirited History of a Classic Cure-All, with Cocktails, Recipes, & Formulas
by Brad Thomas Parsons
(Ten Speed Press)
Cooking from a Professional Point of View
Modernist Cuisine
by Nathan Myhrvold with Chris Young and Maxime Bilet
(The Cooking Lab)
General Cooking
Ruhlman’s Twenty
by Michael Ruhlman
(Chronicle Books)
Focus on Health
Super Natural Every Day: Well-Loved Recipes from My Natural Foods Kitchen
by Heidi Swanson
(Ten Speed Press)
International
The Food of Morocco
by Paula Wolfert
(Ecco)
Photography
Notes from a Kitchen: A Journey Inside Culinary Obsession
Artist/Photographer: Jeff Scott
(Tatroux)
Reference and Scholarship
Turning the Tables: Restaurants and the Rise of the American Middle Class, 1880–1920
by Andrew P. Haley
(The University of North Carolina Press)
Single Subject
All About Roasting
by Molly Stevens
(W.W. Norton & Company)
Writing and Literature
Blood, Bones & Butter: The Inadvertent Education of a Reluctant Chef
by Gabrielle Hamilton
(Random House)
2012 James Beard Foundation Journalism Awards
For articles published in English in 2011.
Publications of the Year
Amanda Hesser and Merrill Stubbs
Food52
Darra Goldstein
Gastronomica
Cooking, Recipes, or Instruction
Anna Thomas
EatingWell
“The Soup for Life”
Environment, Food Politics, and Policy
Ben Paynter
Fast Company
“The Sweet Science”
Food Coverage in a Food-Focused Publication
Saveur
James Oseland
Food Coverage in a General-Interest Publication
Lesley Bargar Suter
Los Angeles
“Chinese Food in L.A.,” “It's Time for Breakfast in L.A,” “Food Lovers Guide”
Food Culture and Travel
Fuchsia Dunlop
The Financial Times
“Global Menu: Kicking Up a Stink”
Food-Related Columns
Lettie Teague
The Wall Street Journal
On Wine: Lettie Teague: “Drink, Memory: How to Remember that Wine;” “In Praise of the One-Cabernet Lunch;” “May I recommend: Lessons of Great Sommeliers”
Group Food Blog
The Salt: NPR’s Food Blog
Maria Godoy
npr.org/blogs/thesalt
Health and Well-Being
Maureen O’Hagan
The Seattle Times
“Feeling the Weight: The Emotional Battle to Control Kids’ Diet”
Humor
Brett Martin
GQ
“The Hangover Part III”
Individual Food Blog
Poor Man’s Feast
Elissa Altman
Poormansfeast.com
“Craving the Food of Depravity”
Personal Essay
Cal Fussman
Esquire.com
“Drinking at 1,300 Ft: A 9/11 Story About Wine and Wisdom”
Profile
Susan Choi
Food & Wine
“The Spice Wizardry of Lior Lev Sercarz”
Visual Storytelling
Landon Nordeman
Saveur
“Soul of Sicily,” “BBQ Nation,” “Heart of the Valley”
Wine, Spirits, and Other Beverages
Sarah Karnasiewicz
Imbibe
“Fizzy Business”
Craig Claiborne Distinguished Restaurant Review Award
Alan Richman
GQ
“The Very Tasty Liberation of Paris,” “I Heart SF,” “Diner for Schmucks”
MFK Fisher Distinguished Writing Award
John T. Edge
Saveur
“BBQ Nation”
2012 James Beard Foundation Broadcast Media Awards
For television, webcast, and radio programs aired in 2011.
Radio Show/Audio Webcast
Fear of Frying: Culinary Nightmares
Host: Nina Barrett
Area: WBEZ
Producer: Jason Marck
Special/Documentary (Television or Video Webcast)
A Matter of Taste: Serving Up Paul Liebrandt
Network: HBO
Producers: Sally Rowe, Rachel Mills, and Alan Oxman
Television Program, In Studio or Fixed Location
Chopped
Host: Ted Allen
Network: Food Network
Producers: Linda Lea, Dave Noll, and Vivian Sorenson
Television Program, On Location
Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern
Host: Andrew Zimmern
Network: Travel Channel
Producer: Andrew Zimmern
Television Segment
CBS News Sunday Morning
Host: Martha Teichner
Video Webcast
eatTV with Jamie Tiampo
Eattv.com
Host: Jamie Tiampo
Producers: Suzanne Glickstein, Jimmy McCoy, and Jamie Tiampo
Media Personality/Host (Television or Video Webcast)
Host: Ted Allen
Show: Chopped
Network: Food Network
