2022 James Beard Foundation Media Awards: A Winning Playlist

By: Rachael Markow

2022 heralded the return of the revamped James Beard Foundation Awards. Widespread criticism of the awards process and Covid’s devastating effect on businesses across the food industry caused a partial cancellation of the awards in 2020 and complete cancellation in 2021. The awards officially resumed this year as the food industry finds tenuous footing and the Beard Foundation implemented internal changes.

Frequently called the “Oscars of the food world,” the 2022 Media Awards were particularly competitive. Rather than limiting eligibility for the awards to a single year of publishing, judges considered works appearing in 2020 and 2021.

The Media Award winners were announced in Chicago on June 11 with fanfare. Among the recipients are many Heritage Radio Network veterans and guests. We’ve put together a playlist featuring just a few 2022 James Beard Foundation Media Awards winners, showcasing the incredible talent and excellence recognized this year. HRN congratulates all the nominees and award recipients! For a complete list, check out the James Beard Foundation website.
 

2022 James Beard Foundation Book Award Winners - Beverage without Recipes: Girly Drinks: A World History of Women and Alcohol by Mallory O’Meara

The Speakeasy Episode 449: Cleopatra, and Other Famous Party Animals: Author, screenwriter, historian and the best kind of nerd Mallory O’Meara sits down with Greg and Damon to talk about her new book “Girly Drinks,” which details the long, long history of female drinking and how we’ve all been talking about it wrong. 

2022 James Beard Foundation Book Award Winners - General: Everyone’s Table: Global Recipes for Modern Health by Gregory Gourdet and JJ Goode

The Food Seen Episode 196: JJ Goode, Cookbook Writer: JJ Goode is a highly sought after cookbook writer. He used to be an intern at eGullet, then a fact checker at Saveur. Now, he collaborates with the likes of April Bloomfield (A Girl and Her Pig), Roberto Santibanez (Truly Mexican & Tacos, Tortas, and Tamales), Andy Ricker (Pok Pok), and Dale Talde. His essays, “One-Arm Mirepoix” appeared in Leite's Culinaria and “Single Handed Cooking” in Gourmet, and since then, he's had the upper hand. He chats with Michael Harlan Turkell about his love of food, collaborative projects and unique perspective on cooking.

2022 James Beard Foundation Book Award Winners - 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

Speaking Broadly Episode 143: How To Show Up: Hawa Hassan: Hawa Hassan, author, entrepreneur and champion of community, discusses her path from refugee to model to business owner. Says Hassan: "I really double down on being resilient, but also being soft, letting things happen to me, feeling them and then adjusting accordingly. There's something to be said for people who are able to pick themselves up and carry on. And I think that's what the American Dream used to be." Listen in to hear Hawa discuss her new cookbook, In Bibi's Kitchen, and the power of perspective. 

2022 James Beard Foundation Book Award Winners - Reference, History, and Scholarship: Black Smoke: African Americans and the United States of Barbecue by Adrian Miller

A Taste of the Past Episode 365: Black Smoke, the African American Roots of BBQ: While it's enjoyed throughout the U.S., barbecue has long been recognized as Southern cooking. But the originators of barbecue have not been given their culinary due. The African American culture has been largely ignored as the progenitor of the culture of barbecue as James Beard Award-winning author and soul food scholar Adrian Miller is quick to point out in his book, Black Smoke: African Americans and the United States of Barbecue. The merits of sauces and styles can be discussed from shore to shore, but that may not be as essential as correcting the narrative itself. As Miller explains it, barbecue is American food with Southern roots from plantation slave pitmasters sharing their flavors and fire.

2022 James Beard Foundation Book Award Winners - Vegetable-Focused Cooking: The Korean Vegan Cookbook: Reflections and Recipes from Omma’s Kitchen by Joanne Molinaro

The Feedfeed Episode 51: What's For Dinner? Joanne from The Korean Vegan Joins Julie to talk about her family stories, her favorite dinner recipe, and her rise to social media stardom: Join The Feedfeed for a personal story with a longtime friend of the show, Joanne Molinaro, also known as “The Korean Vegan.” She's a lawyer by day and a food blogger, author, and well-known social media personality by night. She released her first cookbook, The Korean Vegan Cookbook: Reflections and Recipes from Omma's Kitchen, in October 2021. 

2022 James Beard Foundation Book Award Winners - Writing: Franchise: The Golden Arches in Black America by Marcia Chatelaine

Eat Your Words Episode 389: Franchise: The Golden Arches in Black America by Marcia Chatelain: Host Cathy Erway calls up Dr. Marcia Chatelain, scholar, speaker, and Professor at Georgetown University whose latest book, Franchise, examines the intersection of the post-1968 civil rights struggle and the rise of the fast food industry. Marcia talks about how the fast food industry targeted Black communities, leading to a troubling success story of an industry in the wake of a freedom movement.

2022 James Beard Foundation Broadcast Media Award Winners - Audio Reporting: The Sporkful by Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O’Hara

Snacky Tunes Episode 369: The Sporkful & Bernadette: Dan Pashman’s James Beard Award-winning show The Sporkful uses food as the portal to learn more about humanity, and leads thought-provoking discussions about race, culture, and body image. Dan also has wildly entertaining conversations with comics, chefs, and TV personalities. On the musical side of the show, Ricci Swift, Bianca and Molly Nugent make up Brooklyn rock trio Bernadette. They wrapped their first-ever tour which was in support of their debut EP, Shadow Paint. 

2022 James Beard Foundation Broadcast Media Award Winners - Documentary/Docuseries Visual Media: Gather, airs on Netflix

Eating Matters Episode 170: Gather: Ever wonder why we don’t eat Bison meat in this country? This is a little known - but extremely important - part of American history that perfectly demonstrates one way the U.S. government worked to systematically steal land from and decimate Native American people. It was a tactic that effectively communicated that ‘one dead buffalo is two dead Indians.’  Director Sanjay Rawal (Food Chains) joins host Jenna Liut to discuss his critically-acclaimed documentary, Gather. The film demonstrates how Indigenous Americans are reclaiming their sovereignty over their annihilated ancestral food systems, while battling against the historical trauma brought on by colonialism and centuries of genocide. 

2022 James Beard Foundation Broadcast Media Award Winners - Social Media Account: Alexis Nikole Nelson, @blackforager

Tech Bites Episode 254: Forbes 30 Under 30 Food & Drink Class of 2022: Meet the Forbes 30 Under 30 Food & Drink Class of 2022. The annual list identifies and applauds young innovators and entrepreneurs who are redefining the way we eat, drink, and think about food. Host Jennifer Leuzzi talks with Forbes Under 30 editors Chloe Sorvino and Kristin Stoller. Two of the year’s winners talk about the impact of being on the list: Amy Zhou, Director of Operations at Michelin-starred COTE in New York City and Miami and Co-Founder at Wine Empowered, and Alexis Nikole Nelson, forager, cook, educator, and social media sensation @BlackForager.

2022 James Beard Foundation Journalism Awards - Craig Claiborne Distinguished Restaurant Review Award: “The Bay Area is Having a Love Affair with Smashburgers. This is the One You’ll Want to Eat Again and Again”; “Impossible’s New Vegan Nuggets Taste Better than McNuggets. Sadly, that’s not Saying Much”; “S.F. Restaurant’s $72 Fried Rice Was a Runaway Hit. It Was Also the Chef’s Nightmare,” Soleil Ho, San Francisco Chronicle

Queer the Table Episode 15: A New Kind of Restaurant Critic: Soleil Ho: When Soleil Ho was hired to be the new restaurant critic at the San Francisco Chronicle, she was replacing someone who had held the role for 32 years. She took it upon herself to totally reinvent the job, working to create a sight of exploration, representation, and equity. Listen in to learn how she did it and what her role is like now.

2022 James Beard Foundation Journalism Awards - Foodways: “Eating in Xi’an, Where Wheat and Lamb Speak to China’s Varied Palate” by Ligaya Mishan for T Magazine

Why Food? Episode 32: Ligaya Mishan: Telling True Stories About New York's Great Unsung Restaurants: Ligaya Mishan is the author of the New York Times' "Hungry City” column, where she reviews New York's "great, unsung" restaurants. Her career has taken her from an MFA in poetry to writing book reviews for the New Yorker to her current job, where she tells the stories of immigrants and entrepreneurs through the food that they serve. Listen as the show talks about how someone who grew up eating SPAM and frozen peas now reviews restaurants serving food from dozens of countries, and grapples with questions of authenticity in the food industry. 

2022 James Beard Foundation Journalism Awards - Personal Essay — Long Form: “It’s Time to Decolonize Wine” by Miguel de Leon for Punch

The Grape Nation Episode 153: Miguel de Leon, Sommelier and Activist: Miguel de Leon is a restaurant and wine professional of color living in NYC. He has worked his way through some of the finest dining rooms in the country including Chez Panisse, Momofuko, Casa Mono and Per Se. Miguel is currently the General Manager and Wine Director at Pinch Chinese in Soho. Miguel’s advocacy, allyship, and voice have become an important, timely, real, and accurate voice for the industry… and life. 

2022 James Beard Foundation Journalism Awards - Profile: “Patsy Young — American Brewer, Fugitive From Slavery” by Theresa McCulla for Good Beer Hunting

Back Bar Episode 3: Microbrew Killed the Macrobrew Star: In the early 1980s microbreweries were steadily growing in popularity from a niche interest into a national powerhouse that only continues to expand to this day. Does this specialization mean more fun for everybody? Or does it come at a cost? Joining us on this episode are Theresa McCulla, curator of the American brewing history initiative at the National Museum of American History, and Alan Newman, co-founder of Magic Hat Brewing in Burlington, VT.  The one and only Colin Connor is also nice enough to add a little pizzazz to the landmark 1995 essay “Bowling Alone” by Robert Putnam.