8 Recipes From 2023 James Beard Award Winners

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Earlier this week, the James Beard Foundation announced its 2023 award winners. The awards—often referred to as “the Oscars of food”—are intended to recognize “the people behind America’s food culture.” While the foundation has been heavily criticized over its selection process, the awards continue to carry weight within the food community (as evidenced by the Instagram posts of proud award winners) and remain an indicator of exceptionally talented individuals, restaurants, and companies within the industry. We’ve been fortunate enough to work with some of those talented people over the years, so we’re sharing eight of our favorite recipes from this year’s James Beard Award winners.

Award: Best Single Subject Cookbook, The Wok: Recipes and Techniques

Chef and current New York Times columnist J. Kenji López-Alt is no stranger to literary success. Kenji’s debut book, The Food Lab, won the 2015 James Beard award for best general cookbook. His second book, Every Night Is Pizza Night, was a New York Times best-seller. The Wok is Kenji’s third title and—like everything else he does—it’s really, really good. Recently, we wrote about his 10-minute lime cracker pie, a dish that embodies the focused, intentional, and consistent nature of Kenji’s recipes.

1. J. Kenji López-Alt’s Grilled Shrimp Scampi-ish With Garlic and Lemon

2. J. Kenji López-Alt's 15-Minute Creamy (Vegan) Tomato Soup

Award: Best General Cookbook, The Cook You Want To Be: Everyday Recipes to Impress

Before writing the best general cookbook of 2022, Andy Baraghani had been a food editor at Bon Appétit and before that, a cook at legendary restaurants Chez Panisse and Estella. Last year, Andy appeared on an episode of Food52’s The Secret Sauce, where he demonstrated how to make kufteh—an Iranian “meatball” dish featured in his award-winning cookbook.

3. Kufteh, a Different Kind of Meatball

Award: Best Bread Cookbook, The Perfect Loaf: The Craft and Science of Sourdough Breads, Sweets, and More: A Baking Book

Our former Resident Bread Baker, Maurizio Leo’s outstanding bread writing will be familiar to our most loyal community members. In fact, his old Food52 column—The Perfect Loaf—is in the name of his now-celebrated book. We have over 20 Maurizio recipes as well as a handful of insightful articles on our site, but these are some of our favorites.

4. Sourdough Savory Rolls With Parmesan & Ricotta

5. Sourdough Grissini

Award: Best International Cookbook, Mi Cocina: Recipes and Rapture from My Kitchen in Mexico: A Cookbook

If you’re an avid Food52 reader, you’re no stranger to Rick Martínez. He’s written 75 recipes on our site and hosted two different shows for us: Sweet Heat and Mi Cocina. Rick’s new book (also titled Mi Cocina) explores his passion for the “beauty and bounty of Mexico.”

6. Tacos Norteños With Chunky Guacamole

7. Rick's Birthday Cake

Award: Emerging Voice, Disaporican: A Puerto Rican Cookbook

Illyanna Maisonet—the first Puerto Rican food columnist in the United States—is an expert at weaving historical context, personal anecdotes, and delicious recipes into a single piece of compelling and cohesive writing. Before publishing her debut cookbook last year, Illyanna wrote for the San Francisco Chronicle and Food52.

8. Puerto Rican Chicken Skewers With Guava BBQ Sauce

What do you think of the James Beard awards? Let us know in the comments below!