Eater Lands Six Nominations for 2023 James Beard Media Awards

The James Beard Foundation announced the nominees for the 2023 Media Awards, and Eater is nominated in six categories.

Eater’s video team is a finalist in the category of Visual Media — Short Form for an episode of The Experts (formerly called First Person). In the nominated video, Eater visits Down North Pizza, a popular Philadelphia pizza spot that provides jobs, housing, and legal representation to formerly incarcerated individuals. Eater’s video team previously won a James Beard Award in 2020 for episodes of Handmade, spotlighting the handcrafted products (and their makers) that supply top restaurants.

For writing, contributor Emma Janzen is nominated in the Beverage category for “The Great Mezcal Heist,” a story on how strict certification requirements for mezcal are pushing Indigenous Mexican agave distillers to ditch the term “mezcal” in order to preserve their culture. Janzen’s story was part of The Eater Guide to Oaxaca. In the Foodways category, contributor Jennifer Fergesen is nominated for “Kimchi With a Side of Whale,” a story focused on the dishes bringing together Alaska’s diverse cultures and part of The Eater Guide to Alaska. And in the Investigative Reporting category, Eater’s three-part series on Blue Hill at Stone Barns written by Meghan McCarron — a product of more than 19 months of reporting and conversations with over 70 sources — was recognized with a nomination.

Eater’s own Cathy Chaplin and Brooke Jackson-Glidden are both nominated for the Jonathan Gold Local Voice Award. Chaplin, a senior reporter/editor on Eater LA, is recognized for her work covering LA’s diverse food scene, with pieces on Cambodian-American doughnut shop owners, a new Indian sports bar, and the downfall of a popular LA experimental fine dining restaurant. Jackson-Glidden, editor of Eater Portland, received a nod for her work in Portland, Oregon with stories on spaces that remain safe for queer identities amidst political uncertainty, how one family’s Iftar traditions are reflected in their food cart’s offerings, and why overdose kits are not found behind every Portland bar.

These six 2023 nominations add to the long list of James Beard recognitions awarded to Eater, including six nominations in 2022 and 11 total wins over the past eight years.

Elsewhere at Vox Media, Thrillist received a 2023 Beard nomination for Innovative Storytelling for its “Night Market” initiative, a bright, mouthwatering exploration of night markets around the globe.