Formed in 1986, the James Beard Foundation was created by Julia Child and Peter Kump to preserve the home of James Beard and his legacy as America's father of gastronomy. The annual James Beard Foundation Awards honor the best of the culinary world. Besides cookbook authors, awards are given to journalists, chefs, restaurant designers, and other professionals in the industry.
1. Cookbook of the Year - RICK STEIN’S COMPLETE SEAFOOD
"Seafood cooking school proprietor Rick Stein has just the answer in this heavily photographic manual with recipes. RICK STEIN’S SEAFOOD shows in detail how to scale and gut round fish for the grill, skin and panfry whole flat fish, fillet small round fish for stuffing, bake whole fish in a salt or pastry casing, hot-smoke fish, prepare live crabs for steaming, clean and stuff squid, and much, much more." - Ten Speed Press
2. Best General Cookbook - WEIR COOKING IN THE CITY
"The American city is thriving. In urban neighborhoods across the country you can find intriguing restaurants, gourmet and ethnic markets, farmers' markets, and artisanal breads and cheeses. In her new book, Weir Cooking in the City, chef and teacher Joanne Weir takes readers and home cooks into our nation's ethnically diverse and vibrant culinary and cultural urban landscape." - Simon & Schuster3. Best Baking/Desserts - A BLESSING OF BREAD: RECIPES AND RITUALS, MEMORIES . . .
"This multifaceted guide to Jewish baking harbors a wealth of recipes for challahs from around the world, as well as for babkas and honey cakes, bagels and matzoh, crackers and everyday breads such as deli rye. Working with bakers from Guatemala to Russia, Maggie Glezer perfected these recipes, many of which had never been written down." - Artisan4. Best Professional - JOHN ASH COOKING ONE ON ONE: PRIVATE LESSONS . . .
"John Ash: Cooking One on One features lessons that focus on specific techniques, ingredients, or flavor-makers--vinaigrettes, pestos, and other building blocks that turn ordinary dishes into something special. With each lesson, Ash presents a handful of recipes--variations on a theme that start simply, then progress to reveal more complex combinations. With clear-cut instructions and a dash of charm, Ash helps cooks build confidence in the kitchen..." - Clarkson Potter5. Best Entertaining - SERENA, FOOD & STORIES
"When chic Manhattanites absolutely must throw an amazing party, there's only one name programmed into their speed dials: Serena. With a client list that includes Sigourney Weaver, Nathan Lane, Bernadette Peters, and Iman, the woman knows how to host a gathering. It's no wonder New York magazine called her company, Serena Bass, Incorporated, 'the best food in the city, hands down.'" - Stewart, Tabori and Chang6. Best International Cookbook - PROVENCE COOKBOOK
"No matter where you live, or how gloomy it may be outside, Patricia Wells will brighten your kitchen with the sunny flavors of France's bountiful south with The Provence Cookbook. A French-food expert and longtime Provence resident, Patricia offers readers an intimate guide to the culinary treasures of this sun-drenched landscape and dishes that will transport you and your guests with every flavorful bite." - Morrow Cookbooks7. Best Photography - BOUCHON
"When Thomas Keller imagined opening a second restaurant in Napa Valley, next door to his French Laundry, he envisioned a place serving food that excited him in a different way from the food at the French Laundry. He craved food that was less complicated, and a place that was more casual, where he could go every night after work. And that was how Bouchon was born. All the emblematic bistro dishes are here, interpreted and executed as they've never been before..." - Artisan8. Best Reference Book - ON FOOD AND COOKING
"Harold McGee's On Food and Cooking is a kitchen classic. Hailed by Time magazine as "a minor masterpiece" when it first appeared in 1984, On Food and Cooking is the bible to which food lovers and professional chefs worldwide turn for an understanding of where our foods come from, what exactly they're made of, and how cooking transforms them into something new and delicious." - Scribner9. Best Single Subject - ALL ABOUT BRAISING
"The art of braising comes down to us from the earliest days of cooking, when ingredients were enclosed in a heavy pot and buried in the hot embers of a dying fire until tender and bathed in a deliciously concentrated sauce. Today, braising remains as popular and as uncomplicated as ever. Molly Stevens's All About Braising is a comprehensive guide to this versatile way of cooking, written to instruct a cook at any level. Everything you need to know is here..." - W. W. Norton & Company10. Best Food Writing - LAST CHANCE TO EAT
"Food has never been more exalted as part of a lifestyle, yet fewer and fewer people really know what good food is. Drawing on enough culinary experiences to fill several lifetimes, Gina Mallet's irreverent memoir combines recollections of meals and their milieus with recipes and tasting tips." - W. W. Norton & Company