Winners of the Best of Edible Awards 2020 were announced on January 24, 2020 at the Edible Communities Annual Conference in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Four final stories, culled from the 2019 issues of more than 75 independently-owned, locally-focused magazines across the U.S. and Canada, were selected by a panel of distinguished judges as exemplary works for both storytelling and composition — showcasing the mission of Edible Communities: to offer excellence in regional journalism through powerful narratives and dynamic visuals.
Kathleen Willcox received a Best of Edible Award for her story Michele Hunter: Culinary Gangster, published in Edible Capital District. Willcox sits down with 29-year-old Executive Chef Michele Hunter of Hamlet & Ghost chronicling the ways in which this young chef has both followed – and broken – the rules to achieve extraordinary results in her career. Together with a series of Julie Goldstone’s keen portraits, this story reveals Hunter’s earnest love of cooking, the value of her persistence in perfecting both sweet and savory disciplines and the undaunted courage required to manage professional kitchens. Download a PDF of this story here.
Debbi Snook landed a Best of Edible Award for her story that takes a deeper look at Jewish koshering traditions in local meat production. In Kosher Poultry: Honoring Religious Tradition in the Slaughter, published in Edible Cleveland, she follows one woman’s journey to source kosher meat for her family, then explores the way her search led to partnerships with local Amish farms and a budding home-delivery service. Throughout the story, Snook weaves together brief descriptions of farm life and animal slaughter with insights on Jewish traditions for a piece that ultimately reveals a (perhaps not so) surprising connection between Jewish koshering and general consumer trends toward grass-fed, pasture-raised, and humanely-slaughtered meats. Select portraits by Beth Segal provide visuals that strengthen the strong narrative. Download a PDF of this story here.
Julia Sexton took home a Best of Edible Award for The Gold Rush: Hudson Hemp Brings Green to the Hudson Valley published in Edible Hudson Valley. This informative and fascinating story discusses the impact of hemp cultivation on farmers in New York State’s Hudson Valley with reference to history, race, and a lucrative crop’s potential to deliver social equity. Compelling photographs by Damon Jacoby, Lawrence Braun and Peter Crosby help to tell this story, while dynamic page design by Chloe Hoeg brings it home. Download a PDF of this story here.
Writer Helena Touhey received a Best of Edible Award for her insightful look at immigrant labor within the restaurant industry in Cooking up the American Dream, published in Edible Rhody. Through a series of vignettes that showcase the personal experiences of various restaurant workers and chefs, Touhey dances through a provocative political issue with beautifully written story that humanizes immigration issues, drawing sharp parallels between consumer demand for restaurant dining and the food and beverage industry’s labor gap currently filled, in large measure, by immigrant labor. Photography by Chip Riegel celebrates the hard-won success of immigrants in US kitchens. Download a PDF of this story here.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
Bethany Sonsini Goodrich
Our Way of Life: Keex’ Kwaan Culture Camp.
Edible Alaska
Photography by Bethany Sonsini Goodrich
Karen Miltner
Local Food Where You Least Expect It
Edible Finger Lakes
Photography by Jan Regan and Heather Ainsworth
Maria Buteux Reade
Sage Farm Goat Dairy: A perfectly scaled operation.
Edible Green Mountains
Photography by Brent Harrewyn
Bianca Phillips
Zero Proof: The “work hard, play hard” culture in the restaurant industry has driven some to addiction, but that culture is shifting as attitudes around sobriety are changing.
Edible Memphis
Photography by Michael Butler Jr.
April Lidinsky
Mother Tongue: Grandma’s Czech recipes reflect old country tastes and traditions.
Edible Michiana
Illustrations by Katie Eberts
Jenn Hall
From Sea to Plate: Onboard the FV Webo with Local 130 Seafood and daPesca
Edible Jersey
Photography by James J. Connolly
Katherine Rapin
Farming in Climate Chaos: A devastating season spurs growers to adapt to extreme weather.
Edible Philly
Helena McMurdo
Some Things Never Get Old
Edible Vancouver & Wine Country
Photography by Helena McMurdo
All entries for the 2020 Best of Edible Awards were reviewed by a panel of nationally-renowned authors, chefs, food advocates, and radio personalities that including Barry Estabrook, Deborah Madison, Mark Winne, and Cheryl Alters Jamison.
The Best of Edible Awards are open each year, only to members of Edible Communities. For more information, visit the Association for Edible Publishers website at www.localfoodpublishers.org.
