Nominees for the James Beard Foundation’s 2025 Media Awards were announced this week including bakers, chefs, photographers and writers with Bay Area connections earning nominations.
Each year the James Beard Foundation honors chefs, writers, mixologists, photographers and other culinary figures for their contributions to America’s culinary and food culture through its James Beard Awards.
The nonprofit provides culinary arts-focused programming and advocacy initiatives nationwide. It was founded in 1986 as a tribute to famed American chef, writer and television host James Beard.
The awards, now in their 35th year, are considered among the most prestigious in the world.
The Media Awards include honors for books, broadcast media and journalism.
Five nominated works have Bay Area connections.
“Richard Hart Bread: Intuitive Sourdough Baking” by Richard Hart and Laurie Woolever and Henrietta Lovell is nominated for best Bread Book. Hart was the head baker at Tartine in San Francisco for many years.
“Convivir: Modern Mexican Cuisine in California’s Wine Country” by Rogelio Garcia and Andrea Lawson Gray are nominated for the Professional and Restaurant Book award, which honors cookbooks written by culinary professionals or restaurant chefs. Garcia is executive chef at Michelin-starred restaurant Auro in Calistoga. Lawson Gray is a Bay Area-based brand marketer, writer and private chef.
“The Bean Book: 100 Recipes for Cooking with All Kinds of Beans, from the Rancho Gordo Kitchen [A Cookbook]” by Steve Sando and Julia Newberry is nominated for best Single Subject Book. Steve Sando is founder-proprietor and Newberry is general manager of Rancho Gordo, an heirloom bean retailer in Napa.
“Koreaworld: A Cookbook” by Alex Lau is up for best Visuals, a category for books on food or drink with exceptional graphic design, art or photography. Lau is a San Francisco-based Emmy winning filmmaker and photographer.
The episode “Cream Pie with Telly Justice” from the podcast Loading Docks with Chef Preeti Mistry is nominated for best Audio Programming for excellence in food and beverage radio or podcast programs. Mistry is a chef and activist who co-founded Navi Kitchen and Juhu Beach Club in Oakland. Mistry lives in Sonoma County.
The James Beard Media Award winners will be announced at a ceremony at Columbia College in Chicago on Saturday, June 14. The full list of nominees can be found on jamesbeard.org.
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