TRAVEL/FOOD

 2026 James Beard Media Award nominees in advance of the 2026 James Beard Awards® presented by American Express and Resy. The list includes nominees in Book, Broadcast Media, and Journalism categories.

For the first time, winners will be announced at the renowned Art Institute of Chicago, where the Media Awards ceremony will take place on Saturday, June 13. The ceremony, which honors individuals and teams across every corner of food media, will be followed by a reception featuring Chicago chefs representing the city’s rich culinary scene.

Check out the Media Award nominees below!

2026 James Beard Foundation Book Award Nominees

The Book Awards are open to cookbooks and other nonfiction food- or beverage-related books that were published in the U.S. in 2025. Books from foreign publishers must bear a 2025 U.S. copyright date and/or must have been distributed in the U.S. during 2025. More information about the Book Awards eligibility and criteria can be viewed here.

Baking and Desserts
Books with recipes focused on the art and craft of baking, pastries, and desserts, both sweet and savory items, including ingredients, techniques, equipment, and traditions. *This year, submissions to Breads were included for consideration within Baking and Desserts.

Baking and the Meaning of Life: How to Find Joy in 100 Recipes
Helen Goh
(Abrams)

Dobre Dobre: Baking from Poland and Beyond
Laurel Kratochvila
(Chronicle Books)

Mali Bakes: Make and decorate the retro cakes of your dreams
Patchanida Chimkire
(Smith Street Books)

Beverage with Recipes
Books with recipes focused on beverages, such as cocktails, beer, wine, spirits, coffee, tea, or juices.

The Madrusan Cocktail Companion: Every drink worth drinking in the history of modern + classic cocktails
Michael Madrusan and Zara Madrusan
(Murdoch Books)

Soju Party: How to Drink (and Eat!) Like a Korean
Irene Yoo
(Alfred A. Knopf) 

Three Cheers: Cocktails Three Ways: Classics, Riffs, and Zero-Proof Sips
Kaitlyn Stewart
(Ten Speed Press)

Beverage without Recipes
Books without recipes that focus on beverages, such as cocktails, beer, wine, spirits, coffee, tea, or juices; or books that cover these subject areas where recipes are not the focus.

The Obituary Cocktail: Iconic New Orleans Cocktails
Sue Strachan
(LSU Press)

Wine Pairing for the People: The Communion of Wine, Food, and Culture from Africa and Beyond
Cha McCoy with Layla Schlack
(Harvest)

Wine Simple: Perfect Pairings: An Ingenious Guide to Enjoying Wine with Food
Aldo Sohm with Christine Muhlke
(Clarkson Potter)

Food Issues and Advocacy
Books that focus on investigative journalism, food policy, food advocacy, deep dives, and critical analysis of the changing social landscape around food.

Eating Behind Bars: Ending the Hidden Punishment of Food in Prison
Alex Busansky, Leslie Soble, and Aishatu Yusuf
(The New Press)

The Lobster Trap: The Global Fight for a Seafood on the Brink
Greg Mercer
(McClelland & Stewart)

What to Eat Now: The Indispensable Guide to Good Food, How to Find It, and Why It Matters
Marion Nestle
(North Point Press)

General
Books with recipes that address a broad scope of cooking, not just a single topic, technique, or region, and are accessible to a general audience.

By Heart: Recipes to Hold Near and Dear
Hailee Catalano
(DK)

Flavour Heroes: 15 Modern Pantry Ingredients to Amplify Your Cooking
Gurdeep Loyal
(Quadrille)

Something from Nothing: A Cookbook
Alison Roman
(Clarkson Potter)

International
Books with recipes focused on presenting cuisines of the world in their cultural context: their history, distinctive characteristics, and techniques.

Ghana to the World: Recipes and Stories That Look Forward While Honoring the Past
Eric Adjepong with Korsha Wilson
(Clarkson Potter)

Kin: Caribbean Recipes for the Modern Kitchen
Marie Mitchell
(W.W. Norton & Company)

THAI: Anywhere and Everywhere
Nat Thaipun
(Hardie Grant Publishing)

Literary Writing
Narrative nonfiction books, including memoirs, culinary travel, culinary tourism, biography, reflections on food in a cultural context, and personal essays.

Dirty Kitchen: A Memoir of Food and Family
Jill Damatac
(One Signal Publishers/Simon & Schuster)

The Last Sweet Bite: Stories and Recipes of Culinary Heritage Lost and Found
Michael Shaikh
(Crown) 

Strong Roots: A Memoir of Food, Family, and Ukraine
Olia Hercules
(Alfred A. Knopf)

Professional and Restaurant
Books written by a culinary professional or restaurant chef with recipes that may include advanced cooking techniques, the use of specialty ingredients and professional equipment, including culinary arts textbooks.

Cook Like a King: Recipes from My California Chinese Kitchen
Melissa King with JJ Goode
(Ten Speed Press)

House of Nanking: Family Recipes from San Francisco’s Favorite Chinese Restaurant
Kathy Fang and Peter Fang
(Harry N. Abrams)

Russ & Daughters: 100 Years of Appetizing
Niki Russ Federman and Josh Russ Tupper with Joshua David Stein
(Flatiron Books)

Reference, History, and Scholarship
Includes manuals, guides, encyclopedias, and books that present research related to food or foodways.

Breadfruit: Three Global Journeys of a Bountiful Tree
Russell Fielding
(Columbia University Press)

Nile Nightshade: An Egyptian Culinary History of the Tomato
Anny Gaul
(University of California Press)

Tequila Wars: José Cuervo and the Bloody Struggle for the Spirit of Mexico
Ted Genoways
(W.W. Norton & Company)

Single Subject
Books with recipes focused on a single ingredient, dish, or method of cooking.

Homemade Ramen
Sho Spaeth
(W.W. Norton & Company)

The Japanese Art of Pickling & Fermenting: Preserving vegetables and family traditions
Yoko Nakazawa with Rochelle Eagle
(Smith Street Books) 

Morgenstern’s Finest Ice Cream
Nick Morgenstern
(Alfred A. Knopf)

U.S. Foodways
Books with recipes focused on the cooking or foodways of regions or communities located within the United States.

Kwéyòl / Creole: Recipes, Stories, and Tings from a St. Lucian Chef’s Journey: A Cookbook
Nina Compton and Osayi Endolyn
(Clarkson Potter)

Turtle Island: Foods and Traditions of the Indigenous Peoples of North America
Kristin Donnelly, Kate Nelson, and Sean Sherman
(Clarkson Potter)

Umma: A Korean Mom’s Kitchen Wisdom and 100 Family Recipes
Sarah Ahn and Nam Soon Ahn
(America’s Test Kitchen)

Vegetable-Focused Cooking
Books on vegetable cookery with recipes that are meatless, vegetarian, or vegan.

Comida Casera: More Than 100 Vegan Recipes, from Traditional to Modern Mexican Dishes
Dora Ramírez
(Balance)

Dal Chawal: 85 Vegetarian Indian Recipes Combining the Power of Dal and Rice
Sapna Punjabi
(Hardie Grant Books)

The Korean Vegan: Homemade: Recipes and Stories from My Kitchen
Joanne Lee Molinaro
(Avery)

Visuals
Books on food or beverage with exceptional graphic design, art, or photography.

The Japanese Art of Pickling & Fermenting: Preserving vegetables and family traditions
Michelle Mackintosh with Meryl Batlle, Rochelle Eagle, and Yoko Nakazawa
(Smith Street Books) 

Mali Bakes: Make and decorate the retro cakes of your dreams
Andy Warren with Daniel Hermann-Zoll, Vicky Valsamis, and Luke Whitten
(Smith Street Books)

MUMBAI: A Journey Through Its Kitchens, Streets, and Stories
Rushina Munshaw Ghildiyal and Bhavya Pansari with Nandini Thirani
(Heirloom Project)

Emerging Voice in Books
This award recognizes work of immediate impact and lasting significance by a first-time published author whose unique perspective expands the reach of the subject matter. The Book Awards subcommittee selects the winner for this category, which will be announced at the Media Awards ceremony on June 13.

Book Awards Hall of Fame 
This award is given to an author who possesses an exceptional ability to communicate their gastronomic vision via the printed page and whose book or oeuvre of books has significantly impacted the way we think about food and cooking. The Book Awards subcommittee selects the honoree for this category, which will be announced at the Media Awards ceremony on June 13.

2026 James Beard Foundation Broadcast Media Award Nominees

The Broadcast Media Awards are given to nonfiction works in English exemplifying excellence and in keeping with the mission and values of the James Beard Foundation from digital and terrestrial media—radio, television broadcasts, podcasts, documentaries, online sites, social media—covering food and beverage topics appearing widely for the first time in the U.S. in 2025. More information about Broadcast Media Awards eligibility and criteria can be viewed here.

Audio Programming
This award recognizes excellence in a food- or beverage-related audio-first program, including but not limited to hosted interviews.

The Food Chain
“A place at the table: fostering and adoption”
Airs on: BBC World Service 

Heard Podcast: Become a Better Chef
“Lessons Learned”
Airs on: Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple, and Castbox 

Roadside Terroir
“Why Farming Matters”
Airs on: roadsideterroir.com, Apple, Spotify, and YouTube

Audio Reporting
This award recognizes excellence in reporting and narratives about food and/or food issues in radio or podcasts. This work is issue or deadline-driven, investigative, topical, or timely in nature.

Buzzkill
“A post-pollinator world”
Airs on: REAP/SOW and Food & Environment Reporting Network

Sea Change
“The True Cost of Fertilizer”
Airs on: WWNO New Orleans Public Radio and WRKF Baton Rouge 

Trouble on the Line 
“Trouble on the line”
Airs on: The Reveal Podcast, REAP/SOW, and Food & Environment Reporting Network

Commercial Media
This award recognizes excellence in food- or beverage-related media including video production, audio programming, or other media, that is clearly developed and marketed with prominent visual branding, is sponsored or commercially funded, and/or contains paid advertising.

Masa Madre
Airs on: Vimeo

Rethink Food: Neighbors Helping Neighbors
Airs on: Instagram and YouTube

The Theory of Spice
Airs on: LA Times Studios, Documentary+, and YouTube

Documentary Visual Media
This award recognizes excellence in a food- or beverage-related documentary that is at least 15 minutes long.

Finding Edna Lewis
Airs on: VPM and PBS

Raoul’s, A New York Story
Airs on: Vimeo

The Soil Remembers
Airs on: Vimeo

Docuseries Visual Media
This award recognizes excellence in a food- or beverage-related docuseries.

Al Chile
Airs on: Vix Premium on Prime Video

Chef’s Table: Legends
Airs on: Netflix

How Sichuan’s Salt History Shaped a Regional Cuisine
Airs on: YouTube

Instructional Visual Media
This award recognizes excellence in a food- or beverage-related video production with instruction as its primary intent.

Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street Television
Airs on: PBS

Flavor Forward
Airs on: YouTube

Pati’s Mexican Table
Airs on: PBS

Lifestyle Visual Media
This award honors excellence in food-centric talk shows and lifestyle programs that explore food or beverage alongside broader societal and cultural themes. Entries can range from interview-based shows featuring chefs and food personalities to those that delve into food history, science, and culture. *This year, submissions to the Competition Visual Media category were included for consideration within the Lifestyle Visual Media category.

Duck Camp Dinners, The Texas Tour
Airs on: YouTube, Outdoor America, Tubi, WayPoint TV, and Outdoor Channel

Lidia Celebrates America: A Nation of Neighbors
Airs on: GBH and PBS

Relish
Airs on: PBS and YouTube

Social Media
This award recognizes excellence in a food- or beverage-related social media account or platform.

Day With Mei
Airs on: Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok

Made By Musashi
Airs on: Instagram

Michael Ligier
Airs on: YouTube

Travel Visual Media
This award celebrates excellence in food- or beverage-focused travel shows as its primary intent. Entries should showcase the unique culinary culture and traditions of a specific destination, highlighting the connection between people, food, regions, and communities.

Pati Jinich Explores PanAmericana
Airs on: PBS

Somebody Feed Phil
Airs on: Netflix

Tucci in Italy
Airs on: National Geographic

Emerging Voice in Broadcast Media
This award recognizes excellence in a body of work that could include food or beverage-related video, audio, or social media production whether broadcast, streamed, or accessed online or through an app, produced by a new voice in the medium. A new voice is an individual that is early in their career or has not been recognized by an awards program or other formal recognition instrument. The Broadcast Media Awards subcommittee selects the winner for this category, which will be announced at the Media Awards ceremony on June 13.

Broadcast Media Hall of Fame Award
This award recognizes a visionary individual who has revolutionized the way food is presented and discussed on television, radio, or streaming platforms. This person embodies the Foundation’s core values of Good Food for Good®. They use their platform to not only entertain but also educate and inspire viewers about the vast world of food. The Broadcast Media Awards subcommittee selects the honoree for this category, which will be announced at the Media Awards ceremony on June 13.

2026 James Beard Foundation Journalism Award Nominees

The Journalism Awards recognize works in English and cover food- or drink-related content which were published—or self-published—in 2025 in any medium. More information about Journalism Awards eligibility and criteria can be viewed here.

Beverage
This award recognizes distinctive style, thorough knowledge, plainspoken prose, and innovative approach in a single article on alcoholic or non-alcoholic beverages.

“Passing On The Nog-Off”
Thomas Conner and Jenn Terrell
The New Territory Magazine

“Spiritual Awakening: Ukraine’s black currant brandy tradition was nearly lost to history. Now, one distiller is bringing it back.”
Craig Sauers
Wine Enthusiast

“Caracas Cocuy Crawl”
Rafael Tonon
Roads and Kingdoms

Columns and Newsletters
This award recognizes the work of an individual or team/group that demonstrates thought-provoking opinion and a compelling style on food- or drink-related topics.

“In New York City’s East Village, Feeding the Community Is More Urgent Than Ever”; “In Hawai’i, Restorative Justice Takes the Form of an Underground Oven”; “This Mutual Aid Group Is Delivering Groceries to Families Impacted by ICE”
Shane Mitchell
SAVEUR

“The Cruel American Food Aid Crisis”; “A Tufts Student Abducted, Before Iftar”; “Immigrant Restaurant Workers Are Not Criminals”
Ryan Sutton
The Lo Times

“Kennedy and Rollins Highlight Healthy School Food After USDA Slashes Funds For Those Efforts”; “ICE Raids Target Workers on Farms and in Food Production: A Running List”; “Trump Administration Moves to Block Court Order to Release SNAP Funds”
Rebekah Alvey, Brian Calvert, and Lisa Held
Civil Eats

Craig Claiborne Distinguished Criticism Award
This award recognizes discerning criticism or commentary that contributes to the larger discourse on food, drink, and related topics.

“The Great Salt Shake Up”; “The Worst Sandwich Is Back”; “Elon Musk’s Utterly Mundane Vision of Dining”
Ellen Cushing
The Atlantic

“I waited an hour for these Bay Area tacos, and I’d do it again”; “This celeb chef’s new Silicon Valley restaurant is super-popular. But is the food any good?”; “The most exciting street food in the Bay Area is on this one block”
Cesar Hernandez
San Francisco Chronicle

“Lake Street Phoenix”; “Dynastic”; “Beyond Pastry”
Dara Moskowitz Grumdahl
Mpls.St.Paul Magazine

Dining and Travel
This award recognizes exemplary and comprehensive service journalism that relies on both critical voice and thorough research to bring a variety of dining options into perspective, whether in a single city, a region, or a country.

“101 best restaurants in California”
Bill Addison
Los Angeles Times 

“The myths and realities of gentrification in Mexico City. Should you still visit?”
Daniel Hernandez
Los Angeles Times 

“Rising Up: Hong Kong Looks Inward to Reinvent Itself”
Francis Lam
Conde Nast Traveler

Feature Reporting
This award recognizes excellence for engaging writing and in-depth reporting in food and/or drink features.

“Tasting menus and expletives: When fine dining meets hip-hop”
Lenore Adkins
The Washington Post

“The Unwritten Chapters of Charleston Receipts”
Adrian Miller
SOUTHERN LIVING

“Caught! A historic, family-run restaurant in Biloxi, Mississippi, made its name selling freshly caught seafood. Then the feds showed up with an extraordinary accusation: The fish were a fraud.”
Boyce Upholt
Food & Environment Reporting Network and Inc. Magazine

Food Coverage in a General Interest Publication
This award recognizes excellence in food and/or drink writing, reporting, and presentation in a general interest site or print publication. Judges evaluate each entry for overall breadth and depth of coverage.

High Country News and The Food & Environment Reporting Network

Portland Monthly

Roads & Kingdoms

Foodways
This award recognizes the importance of culture and history in food journalism. Entries in this category explore the connection between what we eat and who we are, with an emphasis on reporting.

“The hunt for the bean pie street sellers of legend, and how this dessert is a symbol of liberation for many Black Muslims”
Ahmed Ali Akbar
Chicago Tribune

“Schmear Campaign”
Lauren Collins
The New Yorker

“Annie Fisher’s Ghost”
Jessica Vaughn Martin
The New Territory Magazine

Health and Wellness
This award recognizes excellence in food- and/or drink-related health and wellness coverage. Entries explore a variety of topics that may include (but are not limited to) addiction, aging, chronic disease, diet, mental health, mind-body connection, nutrition, and reproductive health.

“Everything You Know About the Dietary Guidelines Is Wrong”
Lisa Held
Civil Eats 

“The MAHA Movement’s Climate Conundrum”
Lisa Held
Civil Eats

“The MAHA Trend in Groceries Will Backfire”; “Brace Yourself for Watery Mayo and Spiky Ice Cream”; “The Cleaner Way to Get Ripped”
Yasmin Tayag
The Atlantic

Home Cooking
This award recognizes excellence in service journalism with a practical focus for the home cook. The award honors imaginative and substantive entries that use fresh, innovative approaches—both written and visual—to illuminate cooking methods, ingredients, and recipes.

“Going Green”
Elizabeth Mervosh
Food & Wine

“Get Into a Pickle”
Amelia Schwartz
Food & Wine

“Beef Chow Fun: Pride of the Wok”
David Yu
Cook’s Illustrated

Investigative Reporting
This award recognizes excellence in investigative reporting on environmental, political, business, or policy issues regarding food and/or drink.

“‘Customers are being duped’: How murky grocery sales tactics are squeezing some Kroger shoppers”
Ted Genoways, Michael Hudson, and Derek Kravitz
Food & Environment Reporting Network, Consumer Reports and The Guardian

“Immigrants on the Line: They fled Haiti only to endure brutal working conditions at a Colorado plant run by the world’s biggest meatpacker. Now they face deportation.”
Ted Genoways
Food & Environment Reporting Network and Mother Jones

“California’s Child Farmworkers: Exhausted, Underpaid and Toiling in Toxic Fields”; “Lax Oversight, Few Inspections Leave Child Farmworkers Exposed to Toxic Pesticides”
Robert Lopez
Capital & Main and Los Angeles Times

Jonathan Gold Local Voice Award
This award recognizes the work of an individual who engages readers through enterprising food and dining coverage in a specific region.

“These street vendors used their aguas frescas to fight tear gas at anti-ICE protests”; “Follow the red sauce to Burbank’s best Italian deli”; “After the Eaton fire, Bernee restaurant closed for good. This weekend it’s reborn as Betsy”
Stephanie Breijo
Los Angeles Times

“Dinner Party Politics”; “Queer in Present Danger”; “The Lost Cause Boys’ Club”
Justin Shing-Jo Lo
Richmond Times-Dispatch, RVA Magazine

“The Taquerias Are Not Okay”; “In El Paso, an Unlikely Cheese Reigns Supreme”; “How Three Generations of One Family Made Texas’s Favorite Chorizo”
José R. Ralat
Texas Monthly

MFK Fisher Distinguished Writing Award
This award recognizes a single article of exceptional literary merit on the subject of food and/or drink published in any medium.

“Cooking Forward”
Hannah Agran
Midwest Living

“Schmear Campaign”
Lauren Collins
The New Yorker

“Frank: A Love Story”
Michael Oates Palmer
The Bitter Southerner

Narrative Photography
This award recognizes exemplary storytelling through the use of photography within food culture.

“2025 Best New Chefs”
Cedric Angeles and Alex Lau
Food & Wine Magazine

“Farmworker Youth Take to the Streets as Deportations and Displacement Threaten Their Parents”
David Bacon
Civil Eats

“The hunt for life-giving ‘country food’ in the Canadian Arctic”
Monica Herndon
The Philadelphia Inquirer

Personal Essay
This award recognizes excellence in an essay on any food- and/or drink-related topic without recipes.

“Intuitive Eating: On Poison, Pleasure, and Trust”
Erica Berry
Orion Magazine

“Seeds of Diaspora”
Angie Kang
High Country News

“Inside the World of ‘The Great British Bake Off’”
Ruby Tandoh
The New Yorker

Personal Essay with Recipes
This award recognizes excellence in an essay on any food- and/or drink-related topic with recipes.

“The Blueberry Oatmeal That Got Us Through Grief, Then Birth”
Hali Bey Ramdene
Bon Appétit

“My Mama Loved Mangoes. When She Died, I Learned to Love Them, Too”
Dinkinish O’Connor
SAVEUR

“The Marmalade Lesson”
Paul Richardson
SAVEUR

Profile
This award recognizes a single distinctive piece that brings to life the world of a chef, restaurateur, grower, producer, or other figure or group of significance to food and/or drink.

“At 91, Eva Clayton Is Still Fighting for Food Justice and Farmers’ Rights”
Christina Cooke
Civil Eats

“The Ethical Assassin: One Man’s Quest for the Perfect Way to Kill a Fish”
Brett Martin
GQ

“No Papers, Just Peaches”
Sithara Ranasinghe
Cake Zine

Emerging Voice in Journalism
This award recognizes a journalist or media outlet whose excellent work brings a fresh perspective to an important aspect of food culture. The Journalism Awards subcommittee selects the winner for this category, which will be announced at the Media Awards ceremony on June 13.

*The James Beard Foundation’s subcommittee reviews all entries and categories and as mentioned in our open call for entry guidelines, may combine, remove or separate categories as appropriate.