The growth of food writing has evolved with the explosion of all the food-watching that accompanied programs like Top Chef and Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives, and we’re way past the days of Craig Claiborne or Ruth Reichl reveling about an up-and-coming chef in an out-of-the-way corner of a yet-to-be-gentrified-neighborhood somewhere.
The James Beard awards—otherwise known as the Oscars of food—were announced earlier this week, and befitting the honor’s nearly 30-year history, let’s toast sparkling rosé and caviar-topped amuse-bouches to the best food writing published in 2016 (here is the full list of winners).
Columns: “A Haitian Grandmother’s Home-Cooked Porridge“; “Kimchi Fried Rice, Korean Comfort Food“; “Casa Calamari” (Francis Lam, New York Times Magazine)
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Dining and Travel: “I Want Crab. Pure Maryland Crab” (Bill Addison, Eater)
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Food and Culture: “A Last Dinner in the Jungle” (Shane Mitchell, Roads & Kingdoms)
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Food and Health: “Brain Food: A Food Renegade’s Last Stand” (Hunter Lewis, Carolyn Williams, Sidney Fry, and Peggy Knickerbocker, Cooking Light)
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Food Coverage in a General Interest Publication: The New Yorker Food Issue (David Remnick, Lauren Collins, Dana Goodyear, and Carolyn Kormann, The New Yorker)
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Food Reporting: “Exploited in Paradise” series (Martha Mendoza and Margie Mason, Associated Press)
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Home Cooking: “How to Cook, Smoke, Crumble, Grind, Pickle, Candy, Milk, Slow Cook, Toast, Pulverize, and Fry a Nut” (Cheryl Slocum and Robin Bashinsky, Cooking Light)
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Local Reporting: “Free Crabs!“; “A Significant Goodbye”; “Feeding the Prison System” (Hanna Raskin, The Post and Courier)
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Personal Essay: “All I Want Are Some Potato Skins” (Keith Pandolfi, Serious Eats)
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Profile: “Finding Pete Wells: A Search for America’s Most Dangerous Restaurant Critic” (Kevin Alexander, Thrillist)
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Visual Storytelling: “Thrill Ride” (Vince Dixon and Mariya Pylayev, Eater)
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Wine, Spirits, and Other Beverages: “The Great Craft Beer Sellout” (Dave Infante, Thrillist)
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MFK Fisher Distinguished Writing Award: “The Dog Thief Killings” (Calvin Godfrey, Roads & Kingdoms)
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