An Annual New England Culinary Book Awards

Established 2016

Dedicated to Mary Catherine Deibel

Dedicated to the memory of Mary Catherine Deibel, the 2023 recipient of the Community Culinary Champion Award – honoring a New Englander for a wide-ranging and effective harnessing of the power of food and community - for her decades of building community through restaurants and activism, the 8th annual (VIRTUAL) Readable Feast award ceremony was a lovefest. We cannot thank the authors and honorees enough for their contribution to New England culinary communities.

AWARDS

  • Overall excellence as a cookbook -- must contain recipes.

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  • Overall excellence -- may or may not contain recipes.

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  • Must be specifically about New England cooking, foodways, or ingredients; may be state specific; may or may not include recipes.
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  • A work that focuses on a specific ingredient, technique, state, or appliance. This category may include non-alcoholic beverages; may or may not contain recipes.

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  • A work of fiction or nonfiction regarding food, food related travel, memoir, culinary history and biography. Quality of writing is the defining factor. May or may not contain recipes.

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  • Achievement in food styling, photography, and graphic design. Must contain recipes.

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  • A work that focuses on the impact of local and global healthy eating and food production; including nutrition, food availability, farming and fishing, political and legal issues regarding food, ethics of food, and cultural issues of food and eating. May or may not contain recipes.

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  • A work of history, recipes and mixology. May or may not contain recipes.

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  • A self-published book that excels, because of content or aesthetics. May or may not include recipes.

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  • A book targeted to developing and furthering cooking skills for families and children.

  • Cookbook fans across the region are invited to vote online for their favorite food and cooking books of the year.

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HONORS

  • The K. Dun Gifford “Local Hero” award is sponsored by Oldways in honor of its founder, and recognizes a New Englander––author, educator, chef, grower, producer, activist, or academic––who has made a positive enduring impact upon our foodways.

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  • Honoring a New England author or food writer for their achievements as a positive role model, mentor, and numerous contributions to food.

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  • Honoring a book, person, or organization chosen by founders, Louisa Kasdon and Annie Copps, that they feel represents the spirit and intention of this awards program

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  • Honoring a New Englander for a wide-ranging and effective harnessing of the power of food and community.

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  • Honoring a New Englander whose lifetime of work has enhanced the fairness and the richness of our culinary community.

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OUR JUDGES

Experts in their own right, our judges continue to make their mark on New England’s culinary scene. Teaching, writing, publishing, cooking, sharing their food and their wisdom.