The CulinaryWoman Newsletter, 2/27/22

My book comes out, and so does the Beard list

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A Far More Representative James Beard Awards

I don’t have children - a medical emergency years ago eliminated that possibility. But I have given birth to five books, and the experience is probably like I’ve imagined a pregnancy to be (minus the physical discomfort).

There’s the initial excitement, a long wait which you think will never end, the day draws closer, and then, poof! Your bundle of joy arrives.

Satisfaction Guaranteed officially came out on Tuesday. My week was a whirl of interviews, book signings and events, accompanied by floral tributes, all very exciting, with more taking place in the weeks ahead.

Later on in this week’s newsletter, I’ll give you some highlights and links to some of the stories about the book.

But first, I want to talk about a list that is causing a lot of conversation in the food world.

Long overdue for reform

This week, the James Beard Foundation announced its list of semi-finalists in its restaurant and hospitality awards.

There were no Beards in 2020 or 2021, first because Covid closures made it almost impossible to judge restaurants, and then because of an internal dispute among judges over the lack of diversity among the awards.

Many people in the culinary community felt the Beards were long overdue for an overhaul. Too many in the past 30 years had gone to established names, the vast majority white males, and it was very hard for anyone who wasn’t famous or well-connected to win, particularly women and people of color.

The latest list is a step away from that practice. Eater called it “one of the most diverse — across race, gender, geography, styles of service, and styles of cuisine — in the foundation’s history.”

There are new categories, geographic boundaries have been re-drawn, and the people who judge the awards are new, too. As Eater explained, previous winners are no longer automatically invited to judge, and voters have been added who are outside the traditional categories of chefs and food critics.

Finalists will be announced March 16, and the annual gala will be held in Chicago on June 13.

To be sure, the semifinalist list is long, and you might wonder if it isn’t too extensive, given that there can only be one winner in each category. But, it’s still nice for chefs and businesses to be able to get that recognition.

It’s worth bookmarking the Beard list when you can travel again, or if you simply want to explore restaurants in your area that you may not have visited.

Places I’ve eaten among the nominees

Here are a few of the places where I’ve eaten that I was happy to see recognized.

In Ann Arbor, Ji Hye Kim from Miss Kim was nominated as Outstanding Chef (a nationwide category). Miss Kim, which serves modern Korean food, is part of the Zingerman’s Community of Businesses. Ji Hye says she was inspired to go to work for Zingerman’s by an article I wrote for the New York Times in 2007, when Zingerman’s marked its 25th anniversary, so I take some pride in her success.

In Detroit, Warda Bouguettaya of Warda Pâtisserie was nominated as Best Pastry Chef. Warda’s pastries are absolutely gorgeous. She is inspired by many cultures, including those of Algeria, France and across Asia. Her tarts can easily compete in appearance and taste with anything you’d find in Paris.

In New Orleans, the Best Chef-South category is headed by Allison Richard, who is the chef at High Hat Cafe. The High Hat is beloved by everybody in town for its old-school, Southern specialties, like pimiento cheese, which it puts on everything, fried chicken, shrimp Creole, and especially, its pie.

Hao Gong is nominated for his wonderful Luvi restaurant, a little spot in a house on Tchoupitoulas. Luvi’s food is Shanghai based in origin, but it could easily be featured in a modern establishment in Tokyo, Hong Kong, Seoul or Singapore. It’s beautifully presented and emphasizes fresh ingredients.

Melissa Martin is nominated for Mosquito Supper Club, both the name of her restaurant and her cookbook with recipes from the Bayou. You may remember that Melissa pushed tirelessly for assistance to Bayou businesses after Hurricane Ida. Isaac Toups, who you may know from food television shows, is nominated for Toups Meatery (he also has run a restaurant inside the Southern Food And Beverage Museum).

Brennan’s, known for its iconic pink building in the French Quarter, was nominated as one of the country’s outstanding restaurants. The Avenue Pub, with a whole wall of beer taps, is nominated for its beverage service, and Serigne Mbaye was nominated as emerging chef for Dakar Nola, a pop up that emphasizes flavors from Senegal.

That’s just a sample of the places and people who got recognition. I hope they are enjoying their much-deserved nominations.

Interviews, events and book signings

I am so grateful to the many places that were kind enough to given attention to Satisfaction Guaranteed this week, when my book was officially published on Tuesday.

I appreciate everyone who is selling the book, here in Ann Arbor and elsewhere. If you are looking for a copy, try a Zingerman’s business, your favorite bookseller, or my link on Bookshop.com.

Bookshop distributes orders among participating independent booksellers. They get a commission, and so do I, if you order through that link.

I hope everyone who pre-ordered got their copy of the bonus chapter. If I missed you, please get in touch.

Here are some of the articles and interviews that appeared this week.

The Ann Arbor Observer published a long excerpt from the chapter that discusses how the Zingerman’s Community of Businesses survived the pandemic.

WEMU-FM host David Fair interviewed me in the studio (a real treat!).

WKAR-FM’s Scott Pohl interviewed me inside Zingerman’s Next Door — you can hear the espresso maker in the background.

Fox 2 Detroit’s Roop Raj did this comprehensive story that includes interviews with Zingerman’s employees.

Literati Bookstore kicked off my events by hosting a conversation with me and Congresswoman Debbie Dingell.

Book Larder in Seattle presented me with broadcaster and author Tess Vigeland.

I’ll have more events coming up. You can find the complete list on my website. There are two that I particularly want to point out.

March 15: on the 40th anniversary of Zingerman’s Deli, I’ll join Zingerman’s co-founders Ari Weinzweig and Paul Saginaw, and Deli managing partner Grace Singleton. This is an in-person event that will be held at the Deli. The ticket packages include a meal; some also include copies of my book and those by Ari.

April 6: the University of Michigan Alumni Association presents me in a national Zoom conversation with author John U. Bacon. All members of the U-M alumni association are invited — and so is the public. It’s free; register at this link.

Please keep sending me your photos with the book! I’ll post book sightings on my social media. It’s especially fun to see the good doggies who’ve shown up in the pictures with the book.

The Next CulinaryWoman Giveaway Is (No Surprise) Satisfaction Guaranteed!

The next CulinaryWoman giveaway is my book. The winner will have a choice between an autographed hardcover OR a download of the audio book. I read the introduction for the audiobook, and you can hear an Audible sample here.

Paid subscribers and founding members are automatically eligible for the giveaway. You can upgrade your free subscription and join the fun by clicking this button.

If the winner chooses the hardcover, I will sign it and add a custom dedication. If you’re giving it as a gift, I can send it directly to your designated recipient.

Keeping Up With CulinaryWoman

Feel free to email me at culinarywoman at gmail com, especially if you want to book me for an interview or a book event. My calendar is pretty full for March, but there are openings in April and beyond.

Follow @michelinemaynard on Instagram, @culinarywoman on Twitter and @culinarywoman on TikTok. I have a LinkedIn page and there is a CulinaryWoman Facebook page, too.

I’d love to hear your feedback on the book or ideas for any other topics to cover.

Please take care of your health, and see you next week!