Read All of the 2018 Journalism Nominees Here

The words “food media” may conjure images of endless Instagram stories, Twitter wars over hand-forged egg spoons, and perpetual variations on unicorn desserts. But one glimpse at the list of 2018 JBF Journalism Award nominees proves that what we eat lies at the heart of how we see our past, our future, and each other.

This year’s nominees have toppled titans of the industry with investigative pieces, broken down the recipe for a viral food, revealed the hidden figures behind some of our most treasured dishes, and given us new destinations for dining pilgrimages nationwide. 

Read all the exciting pieces from our nominees below, and be sure to follow us on Friday, April 27, when we announce the winners at the Media Awards in New York City. 

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Columns 
“The Eton Mess Is Beautiful, Chaotic, British”; “Hot Night, Cold Soup”; and “Bread Soup from the Lost Years”
Scott Hocker
Taste

Missed Cues: “Get Help”; “Distilled Identity”; and “Destination, Small Town”
Osayi Endolyn
Gravy

What She’s Having: “Nostalgia in a Bowl”; “I Was a Chick-fil-A Virgin”; and “A Time Capsule, with Chicken Pot Pies”
Devra First
The Boston Globe 
 
Dining and Travel
“The Eating Season”
Tyler Kord 
Bon Appétit

“Off the Eaten Path: The Best Anti-Restaurants in America”
The Editors of GQ
GQ

“In Pursuit of Perfect Hummus”
J.M. Hirsch
Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street Magazine 
 
Feature Reporting 
“A Day in the Life of a Food Vendor”
Tejal Rao
The New York Times

“Dishwashers”
Tom Sietsema
The Washington Post

“The NBA’s Secret Addiction”
Baxter Holmes
ESPN The Magazine 
 
Food and Health
“Egg Mogul Jack DeCoster Sickened 56,000 People. He’ll Spend Just Three Months in Prison”
Joe Fassler
The New Food Economy

“The Great Nutrient Collapse”
Helena Bottemiller Evich
Politico

“What Healthy Means Now”
Hunter Lewis
Cooking Light 
 
Food Section
New York Magazine
Robin Raisfeld and Rob Patronite

Roads & Kingdoms
Nathan Thornburgh, Matt Goulding, Cara Parks, and the Roads & Kingdoms Team

San Francisco Chronicle
Paolo Lucchesi and the San Francisco Chronicle Food and Wine Team 
 
Foodways 
“Chili at the Fifty”
Matt Diffee
Texas Monthly

“Four Million Pots”
Leslie Pariseau
Saveur

“The Teenage Whaler’s Tale”
Julia O’Malley
High Country News 
 
Home Cooking
“Lost Pies of the South”
Nancie McDermott
Southern Living

“Nuts About Nuts”
Molly McDonough
Culture: The Word on Cheese

“Thanksgiving Lessons” 
Adam Rapoport and the Bon Appétit Editorial Team
Bon Appétit 
 
Humor
“Pumpkin Spice Life”
Maura Judkis
The Washington Post

“Trixie Mattel Makes a PB&J (and More Importantly, a Cocktail)”
GQ Video
GQ

“Worst Shift Ever: No Experience Necessary”
Blake Smith and Derek Salvatore
ChefsFeed on Facebook 
 
Innovative Storytelling 
“America’s Most Authentic Dive Bars”
Tim Carman, Fritz Hahn, and Shelly Tan
The Washington Post

“Going Viral”
Vince Dixon, Ellie Kirn, Brittany Holloway-Brown, and Ian Stroud
Eater

“The New Essentials of French Cooking”
Melissa Clark, Emily Weinstein, Barbara deWilde, and Alexandra Eaton
The New York Times 
 
Investigative Reporting 
“John Besh Restaurants Fostered Culture of Sexual Harassment, 25 Women Say”
Brett Anderson
NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune

“Ken Friedman, Power Restaurateur, is Accused of Sexual Harassment”
Julia Moskin and Kim Severson
The New York Times

“ ‘The Only Good Muslim’ ” and “Compromised”
Ted Genoways
The New Republic 
 
Local Impact
“Farm to Chapel”; “They Ditched Vienna Sausages for Porterhouse Steaks and Lobster at West Grove Cookout”; and “How a Secular Jewish Baker Became Miami’s Kosher King”
Carlos Frías
Miami Herald

“What Do Lakewood Residents Think of Their Neighborhood’s Newest High-End Restaurant?”; “ ‘La Comida’ Makes for a Big Family Meal at Mothers & Sons”; and “The Restaurant Industry Depends on Immigrants. What Happens If We Lose Them?”
Victoria Bouloubasis
Indy Week

“You’re Invited to the Spirited Brunch”; “Meet the Kitchen Cabinet”; and “Get It in Writing: Restaurant Industry Grapples with Sexual Harassment” 
Hanna Raskin
The Post and Courier (Charleston, S.C.) 
 
Personal Essay
“Dear Women: Own Your Stories”
Lisa Donovan
Foodandwine.com

“The Meth Lunches: The Care and Feeding of a Drug Addict”
Kim Foster
Nevada Public Radio’s Desert Companion Magazine

“Strip Clubs, Salvation and Sonic Drive-In”
Tiffany Langston
Tiffany Tastes 
 
Profile
“Journeyman”
Patrick Radden Keefe
The New Yorker

“She Was a Soul Food Sensation. Then, 19 Years Ago, She Disappeared.” 
Mayukh Sen
Food52

“The Untold Story of the Lady from Louisville and the Bubbe Who Wasn’t There”
Rebecca Flint Marx
Taste 
 
Wine, Spirits, and Other Beverages
“Drink Seltzer, Live Forever”
Liam Baranauskas
Eater

“The Pu-Erh Broker”
Max Falkowitz
Saveur

“A Short History of My Long Drinking Life” 
Andrew Knowlton
Bon Appétit 
 
Craig Claiborne Distinguished Restaurant Review Award
“Bar Normandy”; “Pawpaw”; and “Rappahannock Oyster Bar”
Hanna Raskin
The Post and Courier (Charleston, SC)

Counter Intelligence: “The World’s Best Restaurant Opens a Pop-Up in Mexico”; “At Vespertine, Jonathan Gold Makes Contact with Otherworldly Cooking”; “Jonathan Gold Finds Delight in the Secretive Santa Monica Restaurant Dialogue”
Jonathan Gold
Los Angeles Times

“The Radical Sandwich Kings of New Orleans”; “America’s Next Great Southern Restaurant Is in the Pacific Northwest”; “At Santa Monica’s Dialogue, Seasonality Meets Surrealism”
Bill Addison
Eater 
 
MFK Fisher Distinguished Writing Award
“After Oranges: Following John McPhee to Florida”
Wyatt Williams
Oxford American

“Christ in the Garden of Endless Breadsticks”
Helen Rosner
Eater

“Who Owns Uncle Ben?”
Shane Mitchell
The Bitter Southerner 
 

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