Here’s a pleasant surprise: The James Beard Media Awards, run by the James Beard Foundation in New York and named for the great 20th century American food writer, have this year shortlisted more voices from Victoria for its awards than any other place outside the US. The nominations, which were announced overnight, include a sprinkling of names from the UK, a scattering from the wider world, and nothing from anywhere else in Australia. Naturally we’d like to think this is a reflection of the quality of the food and drink here in Victoria, and the discourse around it, but mostly we’re just excited to see so many great local names up in lights.
Two out of three of the nominees in the Baking and Desserts category are Melbourne people. Helen Goh resides in London, of course, but we are absolutely claiming her as our own, not least when Baking and the Meaning of Life is up for a gong, and Patti Chimkire, proprietor of Thornbury cake destination Mali Bakes, is nominated for the new Mali Bakes book.
The new Thai: Anywhere and Everywhere from Nat Thaipun is shortlisted in the International category, while bar stars Michael and Zara Madrusan, of Everleigh (and now LB’s Record Bar) fame, earned a place on the shortlist for the Beverage with Recipes category for their epic Madrusan Cocktail Companion.
In the Single Subject category (“Books with recipes focused on a single ingredient, dish, or method of cooking”), Victorian fermenter and author Yoko Nakazawa picked up a nod for her book, The Japanese Art of Pickling & Fermenting: Preserving Vegetables and Family Traditions.
But wait! There’s more! Two out of three of the shortlisted books in the Visuals are from independent Melbourne publisher Smith Street Books – The Japanese Art of Pickling & Fermenting and Mali Bakes.
The winners will be announced at a ceremony in Chicago on 13 June. We’d like to offer our congratulations to all Victoria’s nominees, and wish them the very best for the night.
jamesbeard.org/stories/james-beard-media-award-nominees-2026