ACADEMY SCHMADEMY. Between all the buildup, the actual event itself, and the approaching week’s debates over who got cheated, who looked classy or trashy, and so forth . . . I’m glad Oscars season is over till next year. If I have to weigh in, I’ll say brava to Mo’Nique and Sandra (though the foodie in me kind of hoped her “lover” would win!); will admit that, no, I still haven’t seen The Hurt Locker or Avatar; and I will continue to insist it’s a shame Jane Campion and her cast and crew were not in the running for more awards for Bright Star, the film about the life, work, and love of poet John Keats.
But now that we’re bereft of the Oscars, we’re left with the ever-pressing question: where will we get our dose of competition and suspense?
It’s true there’s March Madness for basketball fans, but I’d like to call your attention to another awards race—one that’s infinitely tastier than the rest: the International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) Cookbook Awards. It’s also slightly more democratic than the Academy, since you get to play a role in determining one of the awards (yes, this is a call to action; see more on the “People’s Choice Cookbook Award” below).
The Cookbook Awards are the Oscars of culinary publishing; winners will be announced on April 22. Though we won’t have the red carpet dissection of bad outfits and celebrity gossip to view on television, the results of the ceremony will be no less exciting. Plus, I don’t know what you thought of the Steve Martin/Alec Baldwin team, but I’m sure they’ll have nothing on this year’s IACP emcees: Ruth Reichl, author and former editor of Gourmet, and Kim Severson, food writer for the New York Times.
Reichl and Severson have sixteen award categories to present, plus special recognition awards. I’ll be paying particular attention to the categories of “Literary Food Writing,” “Chefs and Restaurants,” and “First Book: Julia Child Award.” Forget the Best Film battle; that’s yesterday’s news. What about veteran food writer and former New York Times critic William Grimes, nominated for Appetite City: A Culinary History of New York, up against David Lebovitz for The Sweet Life in Paris? A great transatlantic dust-up. As far as Chefs/Restaurants go, I’m all in for Michael Psilakis’s How to Roast a Lamb (are you surprised?).
The “First Book: Julia Child Award” category is interesting this year in that the contenders all represent Spanish- or Portuguese-language cuisines: Seasonal Spanish Food by Jose Pizarro, The Brazilian Table by Yara Castro Roberts and Richard Roberts, and The New Portuguese Table by David Leite. I confess to a bias, but I must tell you that I purchased my copy of The New Portuguese Table before I became a recipe tester with Leite’s Culinaria, and I cook from this book almost weekly, without obligation. The recipes are easy to follow and beautifully photographed; the writing includes rich contextual information, but is also clever, snappy, and entertaining—even in the method steps. As a further measure of success, the book makes this foreign cuisine completely accessible to the home cook who’s never tried it before. I know, because I was one of those cooks. Couldn’t tell you Caldo Verde (Portuguese soup) from the Verde River Canyon (in Central Arizona). But now I can tell you firsthand about lots of really sensational dishes that David Leite has made his own within the culinary traditions of Portugal. His book is certainly deserving of your People’s Choice vote.
The People’s Choice Cookbook Award: VOTE NOW!
This year, for the first time, the IACP has opened up voting to the public by creating a People’s Choice Cookbook Award that cuts across all categories. You don’t have to be an IACP member or register with personal information to participate. All you have to do is click here to vote on the IACP site. One vote per person is allowed. The voting deadline is April 5.
