James Beard Awards Dictated by Immigrant Chefs
This year’s James Beard culinary awards, which are sometimes called “the Oscars of the food world,” saw 75 finalists who were predominantly immigrants or children of immigrants from around the world, striving for the prestigious title.
The James Beard Awards are some of the most distinguished in the culinary world. In 2020, the awards were canceled, citing the COVID-19 pandemic as the reason. However, there were also reports about a lack of diversity among the chefs that received the most votes. This year, the goal of the awards has changed. The motto of the awards is “good food for good”, and the vice president of awards at the James Beard Foundation, Dawn Padmore, says, “It’s to award excellence. And excellence can look like anything, right?”
Chefs from around the world, especially the younger generation, feel that cuisine is a way to express their culture, and consumers want to try different kinds of food, as Padmore said. One such example is Chef “Nok” Chutatip Suntaranon, of the Thai restaurant Kalaya in Philadelphia. She is one of the finalists in the James Beard Awards, and the food she makes has flavors from the city of Trang in southern Thailand. She grew up helping her mother make curry paste to sell in her shop in the city.
She opened her restaurant four years ago, and it was extremely successful. It moved from a small, 35-seat location to a new property holding up to 300 diners. Suntaranon has also been nominated three times for the James Beard Awards. Just like many new chefs that have been nominated, she presents her food authentically, using traditional flavors and spices.
She is only one of the many finalists set to win this prestigious award; there are many like her who believe that food is at the heart of their culture.
Source: https://www.npr.org/2023/06/04/1179723036/immigrants-change-america-eats-dominate-culinary-awards#:~:text=Press-,Immigrant%20chefs%20dominate%20James%20Beards%20culinary%20awards%2C%20change%20how%20America,immigrants%20or%20children%20of%20immigrants.
This year’s James Beard culinary awards, which are sometimes called “the Oscars of the food world,” saw 75 finalists who were predominantly immigrants or children of immigrants from around the world, striving for the prestigious title.
The James Beard Awards are some of the most distinguished in the culinary world. In 2020, the awards were canceled, citing the COVID-19 pandemic as the reason. However, there were also reports about a lack of diversity among the chefs that received the most votes. This year, the goal of the awards has changed. The motto of the awards is “good food for good”, and the vice president of awards at the James Beard Foundation, Dawn Padmore, says, “It’s to award excellence. And excellence can look like anything, right?”
Chefs from around the world, especially the younger generation, feel that cuisine is a way to express their culture, and consumers want to try different kinds of food, as Padmore said. One such example is Chef “Nok” Chutatip Suntaranon, of the Thai restaurant Kalaya in Philadelphia. She is one of the finalists in the James Beard Awards, and the food she makes has flavors from the city of Trang in southern Thailand. She grew up helping her mother make curry paste to sell in her shop in the city.
She opened her restaurant four years ago, and it was extremely successful. It moved from a small, 35-seat location to a new property holding up to 300 diners. Suntaranon has also been nominated three times for the James Beard Awards. Just like many new chefs that have been nominated, she presents her food authentically, using traditional flavors and spices.
She is only one of the many finalists set to win this prestigious award; there are many like her who believe that food is at the heart of their culture.
Source: https://www.npr.org/2023/06/04/1179723036/immigrants-change-america-eats-dominate-culinary-awards#:~:text=Press-,Immigrant%20chefs%20dominate%20James%20Beards%20culinary%20awards%2C%20change%20how%20America,immigrants%20or%20children%20of%20immigrants.
