James Beard Awards finalists announced

The James Beard Foundation presented its finalists for the 2017 awards. Naturally, there are several Louisianans on the list. But first, here are the finalists for the book awards published in English in 2016. Winners will be announced on April 25, 2017.

American Cooking
Deep Run Roots: Stories and Recipes from My Corner of the South
Vivian Howard
(Little, Brown and Company)

My Two Souths: Blending the Flavors of India into a Southern Kitchen
Asha Gomez and Martha Hall Foose (Running Press)

Victuals: An Appalachian Journey, with Recipes 
Ronni Lundy (Clarkson Potter)

Baking and Dessert
Art of the Pie: A Practical Guide to Homemade Crusts, Fillings, and Life 
Kate McDermott (Countryman Press)

Breaking Breads: A New World of Israeli Baking
Uri Scheft and Raquel Pelzel (Artisan)

Dorie’s Cookies
Dorie Greenspan (Rux Martin/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)

Beverage
Smuggler’s Cove: Exotic Cocktails, Rum, and the Cult of Tiki
Martin Cate with Rebecca Cate (Ten Speed Press)

Spritz: Italy's Most Iconic Aperitivo Cocktail, with Recipes
Talia Baiocchi and Leslie Pariseau (Ten Speed Press)

The Waldorf Astoria Bar Book 
Frank Caiafa (Penguin)

Cooking from a Professional Point of View
Central
Virgilio Martínez with Nicholas Gill (Phaidon Press)

Classic Koffmann 
Pierre Koffmann (Jacqui Small)

Lickerland: Asian-Accented Desserts by Jason Licker 
Jason Licker (Sirivatana Interprint Public Company Limited)

General Cooking
Cooking for Jeffrey: A Barefoot Contessa Cookbook
Ina Garten (Clarkson Potter)

Cook’s Science: How to Unlock Flavor in 50 of Our Favorite Ingredients
The Editors at Cook’s Illustrated (Cook’s Illustrated)

Eat in My Kitchen: To Cook, to Bake, to Eat, and to Treat 
Meike Peters (Prestel)

Health
Pure Delicious: More Than 150 Delectable Allergen-Free Recipes Without Gluten, Dairy, Eggs, Soy, Peanuts, Tree Nuts, Shellfish, or Cane Sugar
Heather Christo (Pam Krauss/Avery)

Skinnytaste Fast and Slow: Knockout Quick-Fix and Slow Cooker Recipes
Gina Homolka (Clarkson Potter)

You Have It Made: Delicious, Healthy, Do-Ahead Meals 
Ellie Krieger (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)

International
All Under Heaven: Recipes from the 35 Cuisines of China
Carolyn Phillips (Ten Speed Press)

Land of Fish and Rice: Recipes from the Culinary Heart of China 
Fuchsia Dunlop (W. W. Norton & Company)

Taste of Persia: A Cook's Travels Through Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Iran, and Kurdistan 
Naomi Duguid (Artisan)

Nonfiction
Food City: Four Centuries of Food-Making in New York 
Joy Santlofer (W. W. Norton & Company)

Something to Food About: Exploring Creativity with Innovative Chefs
Questlove with Ben Greenman (Clarkson Potter)

A Square Meal: A Culinary History of the Great Depression 
Jane Ziegelman and Andrew Coe (Harper)

Photography
Appetites
Bobby Fisher (Ecco)

Everything I Want To Eat: Sqirl and the New California Cooking
Claire Cottrell, Jaime Beechum, and Nacho Alegre (Harry N. Abrams)

Taste & Technique: Recipes to Elevate Your Home Cooking
Chris Court (Ten Speed Press)

Reference and Scholarship
French Wine: A History
Rod Phillips (University of California Press)

I Taste Red: The Science of Tasting Wine 
Jamie Goode (University of California Press)

The Oxford Companion to Cheese 
Catherine Donnelly (Oxford University Press)

Single Subject
Big Bad Breakfast: The Most Important Book of the Day
John Currence (Ten Speed Press)

The Elements of Pizza: Unlocking the Secrets to World-Class Pies at Home
Ken Forkish (Ten Speed Press)

Milk. Made.: A Book About Cheese. How to Choose It, Serve It and Eat It 
Nick Haddow (Hardie Grant)

Vegetable Cooking
Dandelion and Quince: Exploring the Wide World of Unusual Vegetables, Fruits, and Herbs
Michelle McKenzie (Roost Books)

The Middle Eastern Vegetarian Cookbook 
Salma Hage (Phaidon Press)

The Vegetable Butcher: How to Select, Prep, Slice, Dice, and Masterfully Cook Vegetables from Artichokes to Zucchini
Cara Mangini (Workman Publishing Company)

In other awards

Emeril Lagasse is a finalist for Outstanding Personality/Host and Television Program, on Location for Eat the World with Emeril Lagasse. Airs on: Amazon Prime Video

Arnaud’s French 75 Bar and Cure, both of New Orleans, are finalists for Outstanding Bar Program.

Donald Link of Herbsaint, New Orleans is a finalist for Outstanding Chef, given to a working chef in America whose career has set national industry standards and who has served as an inspiration to other food professionals. Must have been working as a chef for the past five years.

Kelly Fields of Willa Jean, New Orleans, is up for Outstanding Pastry Chef, a chef or baker who prepares desserts, pastries, or breads in a restaurant, and who serves as a national standard bearer of excellence.  Must have been working as a pastry chef or baker for the past five years.

JoAnn Clevenger of Upperline, New Orleans, is up for Outstanding Restaurateur, a working restaurateur who sets high national standards in restaurant operations and entrepreneurship. Must have been in the restaurant business for at least 10 years. Must not have been nominated for a James Beard Foundation chef award in the past five years.

Galatoire’s Restaurant, New Orleans, Outstanding Service.

Emeril’s, New Orleans, Outstanding Wine Program

Zachary Engel, Shaya, New Orleans, Rising Star Chef of the Year, a chef age 30 or younger who displays an impressive talent and who is likely to make a significant impact on the industry in years to come.

Three New Orleans chefs are up for Best Chef: South (AL, AR, Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, FL, LA, MS):

Nina Compton
Compère Lapin
New Orleans

Slade Rushing
Brennan’s
New Orleans

Rebecca Wilcomb
Herbsaint
New Orleans 

Cheré Coen is the author of “Forest Hill, Louisiana: A Bloom Town History,” “Haunted Lafayette, Louisiana” and “Exploring Cajun Country.” She writes Louisiana romances under the pen name of Cherie Claire. Write her at cherecoen@gmail.com.