The International Association of Culinary Professionals has released its list of finalists for the 2010 IACP Cookbook Awards. New York is fairly well represented: Marcus Samuelsson was nominated for his New American Table, written with Heidi Walters; Jim Lahey got a nod for My Bread, written with Rick Flaste, and Michael Psilakis was recognized for How to Roast a Lamb.
But curiously absent from the list of nominees is David Chang and Peter Meehan’s Momofuku cookbook, which earned universal raves when it was published last October. Were the IACP’s sensibilities simply too tender for the book’s salty language?
Anneliese Doyle, a spokeswoman for IACP, couldn’t comment directly on the matter, but did tell Fork in the Road that the organization has “a really stringent judging policy” wherein each entrant in the 16 awards categories is judged on numerous criteria by three independent judges. “It’s a very detailed judging process,” Doyle says. “It’s not like there’s one person sitting there and selecting books.” Out of the 550 books that were entered, she adds, “there’s bound to be something on there that probably deserves to be there but isn’t a finalist because there’s only three finalists” for each category.
While it’s difficult to be entirely convinced that the book, like Chang himself, wasn’t too iconoclastic to win the favors of the IACP judges, it’s not like Chang is exactly lacking in accolades, and is most likely not sobbing into his bacon dashi. The IACP awards ceremony will take place in Portland the weekend of April 21; the full list of finalists below:
FINALISTS
DamGoodSweet
Authors: David Guas and Raquel Pelzel
Editor: Carolyn Mandarano
Publisher: The Taunton Press, Inc.
My New Orleans: The Cookbook
Author: John Besh
Editor: Jean Lucas
Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing, LLC
New American Table
Authors: Marcus Samuelsson and Heidi Walters
Editor: Pamela Chirls
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Real Cajun
Authors: Donald Link and Paula Disbrowe
Editor: Rica Allannic
Publisher: Clarkson Potter
Baking: Savory or Sweet
FINALISTS
All Cakes Considered
Author: Melissa Gray
Editor: Bill LeBlond
Publisher: Chronicle Books
My Bread
Authors: Jim Lahey and Rick Flaste
Editor: Maria Guarnaschelli
Publisher: W.W. Norton
Rose’s Heavenly Cakes
Author: Rose Levy Beranbaum
Editor: Pamela Chirls
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Chefs & Restaurants
FINALISTS
Ad Hoc at Home
Authors: Thomas Keller and Dave Cruz
Editor: Ann Bramson
Publisher: Artisan Books
Bottega Favorita
Author: Frank Stitt
Editor: Ann Bramson
Publisher: Artisan Books
How to Roast a Lamb
Author: Michael Psilakis
Editor: Michael Sand
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Children, Youth and Family
FINALISTS
Baking Kids Love
Authors: Cindy Mushet and Sur La Table
Editor: Jean Lucas
Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing, LLC
Mad Hungry
Author: Lucinda Scala Quinn
Editor: Ann Bramson
Publisher: Artisan Books
Williams-Sonoma Family Meals
Author: Maria Helm Sinskey
Editor: Lauren Hall
Publisher: Oxmoor House
Compilations
FINALISTS
Cooking Light Way to Cook
Authors: Editors of Cooking Light
Editor: Rachel Quinlivan, R.D.
Publisher: Oxmoor House
Gourmet Today
Author: Ruth Reichl
Editor: Rux Martin
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing
Southern Living Comfort Food
Authors: Editors of Southern Living
Editor: Julie Gunter
Publisher: Oxmoor House
Culinary History
FINALISTS
Chocolate: History, Culture, and Heritage
Authors: Louis Grivetti and Howard-Yana Shapiro
Editor: Jonathan Rose
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
From Demon to Darling: A Legal History of Wine in America
Author: Richard Mendelson
Editor: Blake Edgar
Publisher: University of California Press
Of Sugar and Snow: A History of Ice Cream Making
Author: Jeri Quinzio
Editor: Sheila Levine
Publisher: University of California Press
First Book/The Julia Child Award
The KitchenAid Award
FINALISTS
Seasonal Spanish Food
Author: Jose Pizarro
Editor: Sophi Allen
Publisher: Kyle Cathie (England)
The Brazilian Table
Authors: Yara Castro Roberts and Richard Roberts
Editor: Leslie Stitt
Publisher: Gibbs Smith, Publisher
The New Portuguese Table: Exciting Flavors from Europe’s Western Coast
Author: David Leite
Editor: Rica Allannic
Publisher: Clarkson Potter
Food Photography & Styling
FINALISTS
Hot and Hot Fish Club Cookbook: A Celebration of Food, Family, and Traditions
Authors: Chris Hastings and Idie Hastings
Photographer: Jason Wallis
Stylist: Chris Hastings
Editor: Georffrey Stone
Publisher: Running Press Book Publishers
Restaurant Nicholas: The Cookbook
Authors: Nicholas Harary and Peter Zuorick
Photographer: Steve Legato
Stylist: Chris Fenison
Editor: Joe D. Angelo
Publisher: Pediment Publishing (Canada)
Williams-Sonoma Cooking for Friends
Authors: Alison Attenborough and Jamie Kimm
Photographer: Petrina Tinslay
Stylists: Alison Attenborough and Jamie Kimm
Editors: Sarah Putman Clegg and Sharon Silva
Publisher: Oxmoor House
Food Reference & Technical
FINALISTS
The Deluxe Food Lover’s Companion
Author: Ron Herbst
Editor: Patricia Hunter
Publisher: Barron’s Educational Series, Inc.
The Fundamental Techniques of Classic Pastry Arts
Author: The French Culinary Institute
Editor: Luisa Weiss
Publisher: Harry N. Abrams, Inc.
Why Italians Love to Talk About Food
Author: Elena Kostioukovitch
Editor: Jonathan Galassi
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
General
The Eat Your Books Award
FINALISTS
Get Cooking
Author: Mollie Katzen
Editor: Robert Miller
Publisher: HarperStudio
Stephanie Alexander’s Kitchen Garden Companion
Author: Stephanie Alexander
Editor: Kathleen Gandy
Publisher: Penguin Group (Australia)
Williams-Sonoma Family Meals
Author: Maria Helm Sinskey
Editor: Kim Laidlaw
Publisher: Oxmoor House
Health and Special Diet
FINALISTS
Golden Door Cooks at Home: Favorite Recipes from the Celebrated Spa
Authors: Dean Rucker and Marah Stets
Editor: Rica Allannic
Publisher: Clarkson Potter
Lucid Food: Cooking for an Eco-Conscious Life
Author: Louisa Shafia
Editor: Sara Golski
Publisher: Ten Speed Press
The Cancer-Fighting Kitchen: Nourishing, Big-Flavor Recipes for Cancer Treatment and Recovery
Authors: Rebecca Katz and Mat Edelson
Editor: Melissa Moore
Publisher: Celestial Arts, an imprint of Ten Speed Press
International
The Le Cordon Bleu Award
FINALISTS
Mastering the Art of Chinese Cooking
Author: Eileen Yin-Fei Lo
Editor: Bill LeBlond
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Seven Fires
Authors: Francis Mallmann and Peter Kaminsky
Editor: Ann Bramson
Publisher: Artisan Books
The Songs of Sapa
Author: Luke Nguyen
Editor: Kim Rowney
Publisher: Kay Scarlett
Publishing Company: Murdoch Books (Australia)
Literary Food Writing
The Cuisinart Award
FINALISTS
Appetite City: A Culinary History of New York
Author: William Grimes
Editor: Jonathan Galassi
Publisher: North Point Press / FSG
The Sweet Life in Paris
Author: David Lebovitz
Editor: Charlie Conrad
Publisher: Broadway Books
Waste
Author: Tristram Stuart
Editor: Robert Weil
Publisher: W.W. Norton
Professional Kitchens
FINALISTS
Baking and Pastry: Mastering the Art and Craft 2nd Ed.
Authors: The Culinary Institute of America
Editor: Pamela Chirls
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
How To Bake Bread: The Five Families of Bread
Author: Michael Kalanty
Editor: The Breas Head Group
Publisher: Red Seal Books
International Cuisine
Author: The International Culinary Schools at The Art Institutes
Editor: Mary Cassells
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Single Subject
FINALISTS
Asian Dumplings: Mastering Gyoza, Spring Rolls, Samosas, and More
Author: Andrea Nguyen
Editor: Clancy Drake
Publisher: Ten Speed Press
Go Fish
Author: Al Brown
Publisher: Random House (New Zealand)
Seven Fires
Authors: Francis Mallmann and Peter Kaminsky
Editor: Ann Bramson
Publisher: Artisan Books
Wine, Beer and Spirits
FINALISTS
The Finest Wines of Champagne: A Guide to the Best Cuvees, Houses, and Growers
Author: Michael Edwards
Editor: Blake Edgar
Publisher: University of California Press
The King of Vodka
Author: Linda Himelstein
Editor: Ben Loehnen
Publisher: Harper
World Whiskey
Author: Charles Maclean
Editor: Shannon Beatty
Publisher: DK Publishing