The Food Oscars : Who Won the Book Awards

The James Beard Chef Awards may have been all sweetness and light, but the James Beard Food and Beverage Book Awards were the result of a dispute about procedures. Unable to agree, co-sponsers Joseph E. Seagram & Sons and the International Assn. of Cooking Professionals severed their relationship. The Seagram firm then affiliated itself with the James Beard Foundation, while the Cooking Professionals decided to sponsor their own awards. This is a good thing for cookbook authors, who now have two chances to win.

Interestingly, while the finalists in the two competitions were often the same three books, the winners of each competition were markedly different. Here are the final results.

International Association of Cooking Professionals Cookbook Awards

Bread, Other Baking and Sweets: “Cocolat” by Alice Medrich.

Ethnic/Regional: “Celebrating Italy” by Carol Field.

Food Reference/Technical: “The Complete Book of Spices” by Jill Norman.

General: “The Savory Way” by Deborah Madison.

Health and Diet: “Light and Healthy Cook Book” by Sunset.

Illustrated/Photography: “America the Beautiful Cookbook” by Phillip Stephen Schulz.

Literary: “Curries and Bugles” by Jennifer Brennan.

Single Subject: “Hot Links and Country Flavors” by Bruce Aidells.

Wine: “The Wine Atlas of Italy” by Burton Anderson.

First Book: “Cocolat.”

Book of the Year: “The Savory Way.”

James Beard Food and Beverage Book Awards:

Baking and Desserts: “Rose’s Christmas Cookies” by Rose Levy Beranbaum.

American Regional: “Lee Bailey’s Southern Food & Plantation Houses” by Lee Bailey.

International: “Please to the Table: The Russian Cookbook” by Anya von Bremzen and John Welchman.

Americana: “America the Beautiful Cookbook” by Phillip Stephen Schulz.

Techniques: “The Thrill of the Grill” by Chris Schlesinger and John Willoughby.

Health and Diet: “The Art of Low Calorie Cooking” by Sally Schneider.

Food Photography: “Cocolat” by Alice Medrich.

Writings on Food: “Epicurean Delight: The Life and Times of James Beard” by Evan Jones.

Single Subject: “Susan Costner’s Great Sandwiches” by Susan Costner.

Wine and Spirits: “The Wine Atlas of Italy” by Burton Anderson.

Special Occasions: “Dinner Party” by Jane Freiman.

Fruits, Vegetables and Grains: “Pasta” by Constance Jones.

Every Day Cooking: “The Short-Cut Cook” by Jacques Pepin.

Cookbook of the Year: “Cocolat.”

Cookbook Hall of Fame: Waverly Root on France and Italy.