Latest news with #JamesBeardawards
Sydney Morning Herald
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Sydney Morning Herald
How Aussie cookbooks are winning hearts and stomachs worldwide
'Seriously, when I (very late) sent through the material, and five days later I got the editorial comments, you couldn't see any of my writing, it was all blue and red. I was like 'woah', I thought I was done. It was so much! But I'm very happy that we went through that process – the final product is really amazing.' As for making dishes his own, Papadakis says you can take inspiration from the classics or your peers. 'I try to keep the integrity of the flavour and be original at the same time,' he says. 'A good example is our Tipomisu, a take on a tiramisu but very different, thus the name. We changed the coffee soaked savoiardi with a rich chocolate brownie and finished it with a salted caramel coffee sauce. 'In a similar way, we have had a smoked eel carbonara, where instead of guanciale I use local smoked eel, crisped up in a similar way as the guanciale, and make a smoked eel stock for the egg mix.' The book team includes editorial manager Virginia Birch, designers Andy Warren and Megan Pigott, photographer Mark Roper, stylist Lee Blaylock and illustrator Robin Cowcher. Australian cookbooks have form in the James Beard awards. Publisher Jane Willson has clocked up four wins and five nominations, including the latest for Tipo 00. Those wins include Josh Niland's first two books – The Whole Fish Cookbook and Take One Fish – the late Greg Malouf's Suqar in 2019, and Milk Made by Nick Haddow in 2017, all while she was at Hardie Grant. Nominations there include Carla Oates' The Beauty Chef in 2018 and From the Earth by Peter Gilmore in 2019. More recently, at Murdoch Books, she has garnered nominations for Mat Lindsay's Ester in 2024 and The Miller's Daughter by Emma Zimmerman in 2023. She says common ingredients in the best books are 'committed authors, appetite for risk (from all involved), a POV/something to say and a team that's greater than the sum of its parts – and is firing'. 'That last element is actually more important than you might think,' she says. 'Book-making is such a collaborative undertaking. I don't think it's any coincidence that the authors who get that and, indeed, embrace that, are often the ones who are recognised. 'It's a total thrill to win, but it doesn't really sell books ... What it does do, however, is recognise a commitment to thoughtful, quality, often boundary-pushing publishing.' Niland's The Whole Fish Cookbook won the major gong in the overall Book of the Year in 2020 as well as its category. His Take One Fish won its category in 2021, then Fish Butchery: Mastering the Catch, Cut and Craft won its category last year. The Sydney-based chef known for his restaurant St Peter wrote that first book in just eight weeks on his mobile phone and has sold more than 200,000 copies. 'Doing the book was a good lesson in working with creatives in other fields,' Niland says. 'I felt like we managed to put together a team for [ The Whole Fish ] that was so ready. And nobody was combative or said, 'No, I don't think that will work' … it was like being in a drama lesson where you get taught to say yes, and it just made the product better.' Lorraine Woodcheke has spent much of her career marketing Australian chefs and authors in North America, as marketing and publicity director for Hardie Grant in the US and before that at Penguin Random House/Ten Speed Press and Chronicle Books. Now with Murdoch, based in San Francisco, she says a nomination is a major honour and 'a win is life-changing'. 'It becomes a permanent part of a chef or author's bio – a credential that carries weight across the food and publishing industries anywhere in the world.' While it may not immediately equate to sales, a win significantly expands visibility, particularly in the US,' Woodcheke says. '[It] affirms an author's place among the most influential culinary voices of their time. That recognition stays with them for the rest of their career and beyond.'
The Age
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Age
How Aussie cookbooks are winning hearts and stomachs worldwide
'Seriously, when I (very late) sent through the material, and five days later I got the editorial comments, you couldn't see any of my writing, it was all blue and red. I was like 'woah', I thought I was done. It was so much! But I'm very happy that we went through that process – the final product is really amazing.' As for making dishes his own, Papadakis says you can take inspiration from the classics or your peers. 'I try to keep the integrity of the flavour and be original at the same time,' he says. 'A good example is our Tipomisu, a take on a tiramisu but very different, thus the name. We changed the coffee soaked savoiardi with a rich chocolate brownie and finished it with a salted caramel coffee sauce. 'In a similar way, we have had a smoked eel carbonara, where instead of guanciale I use local smoked eel, crisped up in a similar way as the guanciale, and make a smoked eel stock for the egg mix.' The book team includes editorial manager Virginia Birch, designers Andy Warren and Megan Pigott, photographer Mark Roper, stylist Lee Blaylock and illustrator Robin Cowcher. Australian cookbooks have form in the James Beard awards. Publisher Jane Willson has clocked up four wins and five nominations, including the latest for Tipo 00. Those wins include Josh Niland's first two books – The Whole Fish Cookbook and Take One Fish – the late Greg Malouf's Suqar in 2019, and Milk Made by Nick Haddow in 2017, all while she was at Hardie Grant. Nominations there include Carla Oates' The Beauty Chef in 2018 and From the Earth by Peter Gilmore in 2019. More recently, at Murdoch Books, she has garnered nominations for Mat Lindsay's Ester in 2024 and The Miller's Daughter by Emma Zimmerman in 2023. She says common ingredients in the best books are 'committed authors, appetite for risk (from all involved), a POV/something to say and a team that's greater than the sum of its parts – and is firing'. 'That last element is actually more important than you might think,' she says. 'Book-making is such a collaborative undertaking. I don't think it's any coincidence that the authors who get that and, indeed, embrace that, are often the ones who are recognised. 'It's a total thrill to win, but it doesn't really sell books ... What it does do, however, is recognise a commitment to thoughtful, quality, often boundary-pushing publishing.' Niland's The Whole Fish Cookbook won the major gong in the overall Book of the Year in 2020 as well as its category. His Take One Fish won its category in 2021, then Fish Butchery: Mastering the Catch, Cut and Craft won its category last year. The Sydney-based chef known for his restaurant St Peter wrote that first book in just eight weeks on his mobile phone and has sold more than 200,000 copies. 'Doing the book was a good lesson in working with creatives in other fields,' Niland says. 'I felt like we managed to put together a team for [ The Whole Fish ] that was so ready. And nobody was combative or said, 'No, I don't think that will work' … it was like being in a drama lesson where you get taught to say yes, and it just made the product better.' Lorraine Woodcheke has spent much of her career marketing Australian chefs and authors in North America, as marketing and publicity director for Hardie Grant in the US and before that at Penguin Random House/Ten Speed Press and Chronicle Books. Now with Murdoch, based in San Francisco, she says a nomination is a major honour and 'a win is life-changing'. 'It becomes a permanent part of a chef or author's bio – a credential that carries weight across the food and publishing industries anywhere in the world.' While it may not immediately equate to sales, a win significantly expands visibility, particularly in the US,' Woodcheke says. '[It] affirms an author's place among the most influential culinary voices of their time. That recognition stays with them for the rest of their career and beyond.'
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Two western NC chefs named finalists for James Beard awards
(WSPA) – Two western North Carolina chefs have been nominated for one of the most prestigious awards in their industry. The James Beard Foundation announced last week the finalists for the 2025 James Beard Awards. Named after a man the New York Times once designated the 'Dean of American Cookery,' the James Beard Awards aims to recognize and promote some of the best chefs, bakers, restaurants and bars across the country. This year's finalists include two chefs from western North Carolina. Nominated for best chef in the south east region is Silver Iocovozzi, owner and chef at Neng Jr.'s on Haywood Road in Asheville. According to the restaurant's website, Neng Jr.'s opened in 2022 and is the 'first Filipinx restaurant of its kind in Asheville.' The restaurant sources ingredients from local farmers, and its menu changes regularly based on what area farmers and producers have available. Iocovozzi and Neng Jr.'s has also been featured in Bon Appetit magazine and was name a best new restaurant by Eaters Carolina and Esquire. Neng Jr.'s was nominated for best new restaurant in 2023. 'Our team prides itself on our open invitation and integrated style of service, introducing Filipinx traditions and heritage to those that have or have not experienced the complexities of this understated global cuisine,' reads a blurb on the Neng Jr.'s website. Nominated for best pastry chef or baker of the year is April Franqueza, pastry chef at The Dining Room at High Hampton in Cashiers. According to a bio on the High Hampton website, Franqueza began baking as a child in northern Virginia, and her love of baking carried her to the Culinary Institute of America and later to Nice, France, where she honed her craft. She also worked at some of New York's most popular bakeries before coming to western North Carolina. The High Hampton is located on Highway 107 South in Cashiers. Franqueza and Iocovozzi are the latest local chefs to be nominated for James Beard awards. In 2024, Wade's Restaurant in Spartanburg won the foundations award for American Classic: Southweast and Greenville-based Scoundrel was nominated for best new restaurant. This year's James Beard Awards show will take place June 16 in Chicago. The awards will be live streamed at Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Axios
02-04-2025
- Business
- Axios
San Antonio chef and restaurant named 2025 James Beard finalists
San Antonio's Mixtli and Emil Oliva of Leche de Tigre and are heading to the final round of the James Beard awards. Why it matters: Despite local chefs and restaurants having been nominated in the past, none has ever won a James Beard award, which carries national prestige. The latest: Oliva, who co-owns Leche de Tigre with his two brothers, is a finalist for Best Chef in Texas. Mixtli, an innovative restaurant that transports diners through different regions of Mexico, was announced as a finalist for Outstanding Hospitality. Zoom in: Mixtli became San Antonio's first Michelin-starred restaurant in November. Its sommelier, Hailey Pruitt, and bar director Lauren Beckman also won the Michelin Outstanding Service Award. Leche de Tigre opened in February 2023 and had garnered plenty of local and national acclaim. It was one of 57 Texas restaurants " recommended" by Michelin. In 2019, James Beard restructured the Best Chef category, giving Texas its own region. Here are the chefs representing that group with Oliva.
