All eyes were on Minnesota chefs at the recent James Beard Awards, but the foundation also recognizes the best in food media, which ranges from cookbook authors and podcast producers to journalists and television hosts. This year's ceremony recognized work from 2020 and 2021.
Locally, two Minnesotans took home broadcast media medals. Filmmaker Jesse Roesler and forager chef Alan Bergo launched a video series during the pandemic, "The Wild Harvest," which Bergo hosted. It won the James Beard Award for Instructional Video Series. This is Roesler's second Beard Award and Bergo's first.
And if you needed an excuse to buy more cookbooks, the following were recognized as the best new cookbooks:
Baking and Desserts: "Mooncakes and Milk Bread: Sweet and Savory Recipes Inspired by Chinese Bakeries," by Kristina Cho (Harper Horizon)
Beverage with Recipes: "The Way of the Cocktail: Japanese Traditions, Techniques, and Recipes," by Julia Momose with Emma Janzen (Penguin Random House)
Beverage without Recipes: "Girly Drinks: A World History of Women and Alcohol," by Mallory O'Meara (Hanover Square Press)
General: "Everyone's Table: Global Recipes for Modern Health," by Gregory Gourdet and J.J. Goode (Harper Wave)
International: "In Bibi's Kitchen: The Recipes and Stories of Grandmothers From the Eight African Countries That Touch the Indian Ocean," by Hawa Hassan with Julia Turshen (Ten Speed Press)
Reference, History, and Scholarship: "Black Smoke: African Americans and the United States of Barbecue," by Adrian Miller (University of North Carolina Press)
Restaurant and Professional: "Mr. Jiu's in Chinatown: Recipes and Stories From the Birthplace of Chinese American Food," by Brandon Jew and Tienlon Ho (Ten Speed Press)
Single Subject: "The Hog Book: A Chef's Guide to Hunting, Butchering and Cooking Wild Pigs," by Jesse Griffiths (Wild Hog Project)
U.S. Foodways: "Mosquito Supper Club: Cajun Recipes From a Disappearing Bayou," by Melissa M. Martin (Artisan Books)
Vegetable-Focused Cooking: "The Korean Vegan Cookbook: Reflections and Recipes From Omma's Kitchen," by Joanne Molinaro (Avery)
Visuals: "Take One Fish: The New School of Scale-to-Tail Cooking," by Rob Palmer and Daniel New (Hardie Grant)
Writing: "Franchise: The Golden Arches in Black America," by Marcia Chatelaine (Liveright)
Emerging Voice, Books: Kristina Cho: "Mooncakes and Milk Bread: Sweet and Savory Recipes Inspired by Chinese Bakeries"
Cookbook Hall of Fame: "The Zuni Café Cookbook: A Compendium of Recipes and Cooking Lessons From San Francisco's Beloved Restaurant," Judy Rodgers, awarded posthumously. (W.W. Norton & Co.)
