IACP Cookbook Award winners

The International Association of Culinary Professionals announced the winners of its 2023 Cookbook Awards (along with other food media and writing awards) this evening at its 2023 Summit held in rain-soaked Brooklyn, NY. In addition to this year’s winners, the IACP inducted three cookbooks into its Culinary Classics, which is a like a Hall of Fame for cookbooks. IACP also presented a Lifetime Achievement Award to Madhur Jaffrey.

Rick Martinez was the evening’s biggest winner, taking home the prizes for best International cookbook and Book of the Year. His cookbook Mi Cocina: Recipes and Rapture from My Kitchen in Mexico was also nominated in the Food Photography category. Perennial award winner Yotam Ottolenghi was shut out, but when you have been at the top for so long, there’s only one direction you can go.

The three inductees into the Culinary Classics pantheon are: Family of the Spirit Cookbook: Recipes and Remembrances from African-American Kitchens by John Pinderhughes, Tassajara Cooking by Edward Espe Brown, and Hot Sour Salty Sweet: A Culinary Journey Through Southeast Asia by Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid.

I recall lugging the massive tome of Hot Sour Salty Sweet on a plane because it arrived in the mail just before I left on a long work trip and I couldn’t wait to dive into its pages. It was one of the first cookbooks I purchased when I became interested in the worlds of cooking and cookbook collecting, and it is mindboggling to me that the book is more than 20 years old. Totally unrelated to this, please excuse me while I go out and buy a stronger pair of reading glasses and a new bottle of ibuprofen.

But I digress – on to this year’s winners! Presenting the 2023 IACP Cookbook Award winners:

• American: Six California Kitchens: A Collection of Recipes, Stories, and Cooking Lessons from a Pioneer of California Cuisine by Sally Schmitt
• Baking: The Perfect Loaf: The Craft and Science of Sourdough Breads, Sweets, and More by Maurizio Leo
• Culinary Travel: On the Himalayan Trail: Recipes and Stories from Kashmir to Ladakh by Romy Gill
• International: Mi Cocina: Recipes and Rapture from My Kitchen in Mexico by Rick Martinez and Book of the Year
• Chefs and restaurants: Arabiyya: Recipes from the Life of an Arab in Diaspora by Reem Assil
• Health and nutrition: Good for Your Gut: A Plant-Based Digestive Health Guide and Nourishing Recipes for Living Well by Desiree Nielsen
• General: Food52 Simply Genius: Recipes for Beginners, Busy Cooks, and Curious People by Kristen Miglore
• Food photography and styling: A Year at Catbird Cottage: Recipes for a Nourished Life by Melina Hammer
• Julia Child First Book Award: The Vegan Chinese Kitchen: Recipes and Modern Stories from a Thousand-Year-Old Tradition by Hannah Che
• Single subject: Cooking with Mushrooms: Unlocking the Powerful Flavors and Health-Giving Properties of the World’s Most Magical Ingredient by Andrea Gentl
• Self-published: My South Texas Kitchen: Traditional Recipes and Modern Tips by Yvette Zuniga Jemison
• Wine, beer or spirits:  Cure: New Orleans Drinks and How to Mix ’Em from the Award-Winning Bar by Neal Bodenheimer and Emily Timberlake

Congratulations to all of this year’s winners. See all of the nominees and winners on our IACP 2023 page.