In the world of American cuisine, recognition by the James Beard Foundation is like winning an Oscar in the world of movies.

A chef at the forefront of the American gourmet cooking movement, James Beard welcomed food and drink professionals into his home throughout his
career. The James Beard Foundation was created in 1985 after his death and its mission was to continue Beard’s work as a cooking enthusiast.

The mission of the foundation is: To celebrate, nurture, and preserve America’s diverse culinary heritage and future. Each year the James Beard Foundation holds its annual awards ceremonies, celebrating and nurturing America's diverse culinary history and future. Several categories are honored each year, revolving around American cuisine – they can vary from books, broadcast media, journalism, to the coveted restaurant and chef awards.

This year the foundation added a new award in the journalism category, Publication of the Year, and graced Edible Communities with this prestigious recognition. The awards committee wrote to explain this decision:

The publications produced by the Edible Communities company are “locavores” with national appeal. They are locally grown and community based, like the foods, family farmers, growers, retailers, chefs, and food artisans they feature. The company’s unique publishing model addresses the most crucial trends in food journalism; the publications are rooted in distinct culinary regions throughout the United States and Canada, celebrating local, seasonal foods with the goal of transforming the way we shop, cook, and eat. Their underlying values speak to today’s spirit of shared responsibility: every person has the right to affordable, fresh, healthful food on a daily basis.

Through the vision of its co-founders, Tracey Ryder and Carole Topalian, Edible Communities began in 2002 with a single publication, Edible Ojai, in their California hometown. Maintaining consistent standards of excellence, the network has grown to 70 publications in 2011. Edible Communities’ regional journalists and publishers are local foods advocates who write with a community voice, reside in the communities where they publish, and savor the culinary products produced there.

Edible Communities is more than a group of high-quality, regional print magazines with compelling storytelling and visual narratives. Through electronic and digital platforms—websites, social media, Edible Radio podcasts, and popular local events—its food journalism carries regional stories to national and global audiences. We believe that in years to come the collected work of these unique publications will serve as a valuable resource for exploring the impact of regional food and agriculture from a grassroots perspective.

At a time when journalists are reinventing traditional publications and embracing digital formats, the Journalism Committee of the James Beard Foundation is proud to recognize Edible Communities for this first-ever award. Edible Communities’ body of work reflects excellence in the ever-changing world of food journalism. Its publications inform and connect today’s food-savvy readers with local communities that stand for a healthful, flavorful, and sustainable food supply.

— The Journalism Awards Committee

While we are proud to be a part of the family of magazines that won this award, we also want to celebrate past nominees and awardees in the Ohio Valley region to give this honor some more context. Here at Edible Ohio Valley, we are honored to be part of this esteemed group of James Beard nominees and awardees. Now and always, we hope we are able to live up to the mission of the James Beard Foundation by celebrating, nurturing, and preserving the culinary heritage and traditions of our region.

Summer 2011
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