James Beard Award winners

Jenny attended the James Beard award ceremony this evening at the Art Institute of Chicago, where the the James Beard Foundation announced the winners of its 2026 Media Awards, which includes books, broadcast media, and journalism. Andrew Zimmern served as emcee for the event. You can find the entire list of winners at the James Beard Foundation website.

We’ll get to the book awards below, but first I wanted to highlight a few broadcast and journalism awards. The Emerging Voice in Broadcast Media award went to TikTok star Nasim Labichi, while Pati Jinich was inducted into the Broadcast Media Hall of Fame. Pati also took home the award for Instructional Visual Media. Tucci in Italy was the winner for Travel Visual Media. The Craig Claiborne Distinguished Criticism Award went to Ellen Cushing of The Atlantic, while the Jonathan Gold Local Voice Award went to Stephanie Breijo of The Los Angeles Times. Lauren Collins of The New Yorker took home the MFK Fisher Distinguished Writing Award. Jasmine Michel was crowned the Emerging Voice in Journalism.

Now to the cookbook winners, which you can find, along with the entire slate of nominees, on our James Beard 2026 page. Sallie Ann Robinson was inducted into the Cookbook Hall of Fame, and category winners were:

• Baking and Desserts: Baking & the Meaning of Life: How to Find Joy in 100 Recipes by Helen Goh (EYBDigital Preview)
• Beverage with Recipes: Soju Party: How to Drink (and Eat!) Like a Korean by Irene Yoo
• Beverage without Recipes: Wine Pairing for the People: The Communion of Wine, Food, and Culture from Africa and Beyond by Cha McCoy
• General: By Heart: Recipes to Hold Near and Dear by Hailee Catalano (EYBDigital Preview)
• International: Kin – Caribbean Recipes for the Modern Kitchen by Marie Mitchell
• Literary Writing: The Last Sweet Bite: Stories and Recipes of Culinary Heritage Lost and Found by Michael Shaikh
• Restaurant/Professional: Cook Like a King: Recipes from My California Chinese Kitchen by Chef Melissa King (EYBDigital Preview)
• Single Subject: The Japanese Art of Pickling and Fermenting: Preserving Vegetables and Family Traditions by Yoko Nakazawa
• US Foodways: Umma – A Korean Mom’s Kitchen Wisdom and 100 Family Recipes by America’s Test Kitchen and Sarah Ahn and Nam Soon Ahn
• Vegetable-Focused Cooking: Comida Casera: More Than 100 Vegan Recipes, from Traditional to Modern Mexican Dishes by Dora Ramírez
• Visuals: Mumbai – A Journey Through Its Kitchens, Streets, and Stories by Sri Bodanapu