James Beard Award Finalists: Spotlight on Journalism

by Kimberley Anne | Apr 11, 2012

Image courtesy James Beard Foundation Continuing with my weekly glimpse into the 2012 James Beard Foundation (JBF) Awards, today I’m covering the Journalism Award Semifinalists. Journalism is one of the largest overall categories within the JBF Awards as a whole—this year there are 16 subcategories under the greater Journalism umbrella.

Because there are simply too many accomplished writers and pieces of journalism up for awards this year, it would take pages upon pages just to highlight each and every one of them. Instead, it’s only natural for me—as the resident L.A. Foodie, after all—to highlight just those semifinalists whose work covers or celebrates food culture in California.

Here’s a taste of the California-centric semifinalists for JBF Journalism Awards this year. To see the full list of Journalism nominees, go to page 5 of the JBF Awards Nominees booklet found here. Winners will be announced on May 4, 2012.

Category: Environment, Food Politics, and Policy

Author: Barry Estabrook

Publication: Gastronomica

Piece: “The Other Side of the Valley”

Category: Food Coverage in a General-Interest Publication

Author: Lesley Bargar Suter

Publication: Los Angeles Magazine

Pieces: “Chinese Food in L.A.,” “It’s Time for Breakfast in L.A.,” and “Food Lovers Guide”

Category: Profile

Author: Emily Kaiser Thelin

Publication: San Francisco

Piece: “Cornering the Market”