Taste Canada announces short list for culinary writing awards set for September

TORONTO – Canadian food authors are being recognized for covering topics as wide-ranging as getting children to eat what’s put in front of them, beer appreciation, and the inspiration for cuisine in such far-flung regions as Quebec and Vancouver Island.

The 2015 edition of Taste Canada — The Food Writing Awards drew 96 submissions (69 book entries and 27 blog entries) in English and French. The short list was released Tuesday.

The winners will be announced at a reception Sept. 21 in Toronto hosted by celebrity chefs Ricardo Larrivee and Vikram Vij, both of whom are previous Taste Canada winners.

The recipients of the Taste Canada Hall of Fame Award, sponsored by the Culinary Historians of Canada, will also be named.

There are four categories for books. Another category, honouring the best Canadian-authored independent food-related blog post, is new this year to honour an area of food writing that has grown in popularity but wasn’t being recognized.

Here are the finalists in the five award categories in English and French.

Culinary Narratives/Narrations Culinaires

– “Beerology: Everything You Need to Know to Enjoy Beer … Even More” by Mirella Amato (Appetite by Random House).

– “Getting to YUM: The 7 Secrets of Raising Eager Eaters” by Karen Le Billon (HarperCollins).

– “Secrets of a Hutterite Kitchen: Unveiling the Rituals, Traditions and Food of the Hutterite Culture” by Mary-Ann Kirkby (Penguin Canada Books).

– “Ainsi cuisinaient les belles-sœurs dans l’œuvre de Michel Tremblay: Une traversee de notre patrimoine culinaire 1913-1963” by Anne Fortin (Flammarion Quebec).

– “Recits de table: d’ici et d’ailleurs” by Lysiane Gagnon (Les Editions La Presse).

General Cookbooks/Livres de Cuisine Generale

– “Family Meals” by Michael Smith (Penguin Canada Books).

– “Gatherings: Bringing People Together With Food” by Jan Scott and Julie Van Rosendaal (Whitecap Books).

– “J.K.: The Jamie Kennedy Cookbook” by Jamie Kennedy and Ivy Knight (HarperCollins).

– “Ensemble: Cuisine gourmande et coloree” by Christelle Tanielian (Les Editions La Presse).

– “Le garde-manger d’Andrea: 45 ingredients et leurs secrets, 135 recettes faciles et delicieuses!” by Andrea Jourdan (Les Editions Goelette).

– “Trois fois par jour, premier tome” by Marilou et Alexandre Champagne (Les Editions Cardinal).

Regional/Cultural Cookbooks/Livres de Cuisine Regionale/Culturelle

– “Made in Quebec: A Culinary Journey” by Julian Armstrong (HarperCollins).

– “Paris Express: Simple Food from the City of Style” by Laura Calder (HarperCollins).

– “The SoBo Cookbook: Recipes from the Tofino Restaurant at the End of the Canadian Road” by Lisa Ahier and Andrew Morrison (Appetite by Random House).

– “La recolte” by Bernard Dube (Bernard Dube).

Single-Subject Cookbooks/Livres de Cuisine Sujet Unique

– “Bitter: A Taste of the World’s Most Dangerous Flavor, with Recipes” by Jennifer McLagan (HarperCollins).

– “Duchess Bake Shop” by Giselle Courteau (Duchess Bake Shop).

– “The Everyday Squash Cook: The Most Versatile & Affordable Superfood” by Rob Firing and Ivy and Kerry Knight (HarperCollins).

– “Boulange et boustifaille: 75 recettes pour faire la fete autour du pain” by Albert Elbilia, Stelio Perombelon et Eric Dupuis (Les Editions de l’Homme).

– “Soupes-repas gourmandes” by Anne-Louise Desjardins (Guy Saint-Jean, Editeur).

– “Tarte: plus de 100 recettes salees et sucrees” by Isabelle Lambert (Modus Vivendi).

Blog/Blogue

– “Chicken Tikka Wings With Mango-Chilli Chutney Glaze and Yogurt Raita” by Michelle Peters-Jones (The Tiffin Box).

– “Christmas Cake” by Christina Austin (Strawberries for Supper).

– “Whole Roasted Cauliflower with Hazelnut, Orange and Saffron” by Allison Day (Yummy Beet).

– “Adresses chouchou: Cabane Pied de cochon” by Lynne Faubert (FrancoFoodie).

– “Pizza 3 minutes: saucisses italiennes, epinards, tomates cerises, cœurs d’artichauts et mozzarella” by Christelle Tanielian (Christelle Is Flabbergasting).

Taste Canada — The Food Writing Awards is a not-for-profit organization founded in 1998 that recognizes and celebrates superior writing and publishing throughout Canada’s culinary world.

For more information and tickets to the gala, visit www.TasteCanada.org.