ENGLISH SPECIAL INTEREST

GOLD
Sarah Elton
Locavore: From Farmers’ Fields to Rooftop Gardens – How Canadians Are Changing the Way We Eat
HarperCollins Canada

Strawberries in January, fresh tomatoes year-round and New Zealand lamb at all times — these well-travelled foods have a carbon footprint the size of an SUV. But there is a burgeoning local food movement taking place in Canadian cities, farms and shops that is changing both the way we eat and the way we think about food. We learn how a group of New Brunswick farmers saved the family farm, why artisanal cheese in Quebec is so popular and how a century-old farm survives in urban British Columbia, bordered by the ocean on one side and by a new housing development on the other. We follow food culture activists as they work to preserve the genetic material of heritage plants to return once-endangered flavours to our tables.

SILVER
Sonia Day
Incredible Edibles: 43 Fun Things to Grow in the City
Firefly Books Ltd

Vegetable gardening is back! Concern about the environment and the desire to eat food unpolluted by chemicals, to buy local and to be thrifty are some of the reasons. Urbanites who have never grown a thing are now eager to try to cultivate vegetables, herbs and fruit in back and front yards, on rooftops and on balconies — in any suitable space they can find. Incredible Edibles is for anyone who’s thinking: “I’d love to try growing some herbs and vegetables. But is it too difficult? Do I have the space? Or the time?” Sonia Day focuses on edible plants that can be easily grown in a city setting, many of which are seldom featured in gardening books.

ENGLISH CANADIAN CULINARY CULTURE

GOLD
Jeff McCourt, Allan Williams & Austin Clement
Flavours of Prince Edward Island: A Culinary Journey 
Whitecap Books

Bring the taste of PEI home with you, with a stunning collection of recipes from PEI’s top chefs, enriched by photographs and stories from the island’s cooks, farmers and fishers and a foreword by Food Network star Michael Smith. From heading down to the wharf early to get your pick of the best lobsters, to taking an afternoon to forage for the elusive chanterelle, tasting the mouthwatering dish that’s the end result is the last in a long line of adventures the island has to offer.  Each chapter focuses on one of the Island’s delicacies, and tells the story of how signature ingredients make their way from the farm, field, or ocean to your plate. It includes profiles of chefs, fishers’ tips, and an incredible array of recipes from the island’s best-known chefs.

SILVER 
Michele Genest
The Boreal Gourmet: Adventures in Northern Cooking
Harbour Publishing

As much culinary adventure story as cookbook, The Boreal Gourmet combines a portrait of northern life with an exploration of wild or “country” foods in gourmet recipes for the home cook. These recipes are inspired by a diversity of countries, traditions and kitchens, and spring from a love affair with the indigenous foods that flourish in the boreal forests and river valleys of the Yukon. Whitehorse author and chef Michele Genest has recipes for every season supported with information on such northern plants asArtemisia frigida, or pasture sage, and its effect on the flavour of the wild Dall sheep that graze on it, the mysteries of morel mushrooms and tips on where to find them, and advice from Dawson City’s Uncle Berwyn on the proper use of birch syrup.

ENGLISH LANGUAGE COOKBOOKS AWARD

 GOLD
Michael Bonacini, Massimo Capra, & Jason Parsons
3 Chefs: The Kitchen Men
Whitecap Books & Madison Press Books

Whether they’re in the kitchen, at the table, or on TV Michael Bonacini, Massimo Capra, and Jason Parsons are known for the excitement they bring to the art of cooking. Now, these three top chefs have come together to produce a cookbook that accurately reflects the sense of fun and adventure that makes them such a great team. In Three Chefs: The Kitchen Men Michael, Massimo and Jason have combined their best recipes to create a cornucopia of tasty meals. Complimented with anecdotes and stories of growing up and learning to cook, this personal collection of recipes will delight and entertain.

 SILVER
Meeru Dhalwala & Vikram Vij
Vij’s at Home: Relax, Honey
Douglas & McIntyre

Delicious everyday Indian recipes from the authors of the multi-award-winning bestseller, Vij’s. Pull up a chair—Meeru and Vikram invite you to dinner. The owners of Vij’s and Rangoli restaurants in Vancouver have an all-new follow-up to Vij’s, the bestselling cookbook that has won numerous awards, including the Cordon d’Or Gold Ribbon International Cookbook Award. In Vij’s at Home: Relax, Honey,Meeru Dhalwala and Vikram Vij show you how to prepare the recipes they eat at home, from vegetarian dishes that go from stove to plate in less than 45 minutes to seafood, poultry and meat dishes that come together in 20 minutes then cook while you help the kids with their homework or sit down with a glass of wine.

SILVER
Moira Sanders, Lori Elstone, & Beth Goslin Maloney
Harrow Fair Cookbook: Prize-Winning Recipes Inspired by Canada’s Favourite Country Fair
Whitecap Books

Since 1854, the Harrow Fair has been attracting visitors from near and far to one of the most southern towns in all of Canada. Now, with The Harrow Fair Cookbook, everyone can enjoy the delicious traditions that make it one of the most authentic agricultural fairs in Canada. The recipes in this book reflect the author’s belief that when food is made from scratch, with wholesome, natural ingredients, it can’t help but be delicious. The Harrow Fair Cookbook will inspire you to cook with what’s local and seasonally available, as well as getting a personal tour of what is arguably the richest agricultural area in Canada. The book is filled with the best recipes from prize-winners, as well as the author’s takes on many of the classics.

FRENCH SPECIAL INTEREST AWARD

GOLD
Martin Thibault & David Lévesque Gendron: La route des grands crus de la bière
Québec Amérique.

La route des grands crus brassicoles du Québec et de la Nouvelle-Angleterre arpente le nord-est de l’Amérique à la découverte des meilleures bières offertes par les artisans-brasseurs. Véritable compagnon tant pour le néophyte que pour l’amateur chevronné, ce livre propose de nombreux itinéraires pour apprécier la bière tout en voyageant, après avoir muni le lecteur des connaissances nécessaires pour profiter pleinement de ses dégustations. Toutes les brasseries du territoire sont présentées, et leurs meilleures offrandes sont décrites par le détail. Des accords mets et bières ajoutent au plaisir de la découverte, et les auteurs ont pris soin de recenser les lieux de vente de ces produits rares. Enfin, les photos d’Olivier Germain donnent envie de se lancer à la quête de ces grands crus et de leurs créateurs.

SILVER
François Chartier
La Sélection Chartier 2011: Guide des vins et d’harmonisation avec les mets
Les Éditions La Presse.

FRENCH CANADIAN CULINARY CULTURE AWARD

GOLD
Marie-Christine Rhéaume, Olivier Clément & Dominique Rhéaume
Le livre gourmand des Iles de la Madeleine: Découvertes du terroir et recettes originales
Les Éditions La Morue Verte.

Livre de recettes et photoreportage qui donne accès aux secrets du terroir madelinot, renommé pour ses produits d’exception et ses producteurs passionnés.Véritable pèlerinage gourmand, cet ouvrage rend  hommage au savoir-faire de ces artisans et à la qualité de leurs produits. Dans les cuisines des chefs Olivier Clément et Marie-Christine Rhéaume on découvre un mariage unique et contemporain des saveurs de la mer et de la terre. Le livre gourmand des Îles vous emmène également chez 22 producteurs, chasseurs et cueilleurs, qui ont ouvert leurs portes aux deux chefs… et à la photographe Emmanuelle Roberge

SILVER
Marylène Leblanc-Langlois & Lynne Faubert
À la bonne franquette: 80 Chefs dévoilent leurs recettes simples de tous les jours
Les Éditions Transcontinental

Que cuisine un grand chef à la maison?  Délaissant la toque et les prouesses culinaires, nos 80 chefs-vedettes vous révèlent les recettes toutes simples qui font leur succès auprès de leurs proches: leurs spécialités familiales, les plats dont raffolent les tout petits, leurs coups de cœur pour la boîte à lunch, leurs plats dépanneurs pour la visite qui arrive à l’improviste, les soupers romantiques qu’ils concoctent pour leur douce moitié. L’ingrédient commun à tous ces petits bonheurs? La simplicité!

FRENCH LANGUAGE COOKBOOKS AWARD

GOLD
Philippe Laloux
Le bonheur de cuire
Québec Amérique

Réunissant les 120 meilleures recettes de Philippe Laloux, ce livre magnifique met à la portée de tous une cuisine d’auteur simple et vraie. Pas de raccourcis, pas d’artifices. Un incontournable pour les cuisiniers amateurs et les gastronomes qui prennent le temps de penser à ce qu’ils mangent et veulent faire une fête de chaque bouchée de vie.

Au-delà du fourneau, Le bonheur de cuire aura une vie au salon et sur la table de chevet, car il est à lire et à regarder, puisqu’il raconte et montre plusieurs routes parcourues par ce véritable artiste, ce cuisinier rêveur qui a toujours en tête la beauté du monde et la joie de le nourrir.

SILVER
Chuck Hughes
Garde-Manger
Les Éditions La Presse

La cuisine, c’est le terrain de jeu de Chuck, il revisite les classiques et provoque des rencontres gastronomiques inusitées, au plus grand bonheur de ses clients. Homard du général Tao, Crabe à la jerk, Poisson rôti au jus de veau, Oursins et oeuf poché, les recettes du Garde-Manger sont parfois étonnantes, mais toujours inspirées. Dans les cuisines de Chuck Hughes, les grands classiques comme la bavette, le tartare de saumon et la salade verte ne sont jamais ennuyeux. Ils ont une petite touche de Chuck!

CANADIAN CULINARY LANDMARKS HALL OF FAME

Jehane Benoit (born, Jehane Patenaude, Mar. 21, 1904, died Nov. 24, 1987)
Jehane Benoit’s Encyclopédie de la cuisine Canadienne, a catalogue of French Canadian cooking, sold over 1.5 million copies and continues to be a sought after resource. A food writer of 30 cookbooks, Madame Benoit was a consummate culinary historian, a TV and radio star, and founded one of Quebec’s first French/English culinary schools, Fumet de la Vieille France.

Marie Nightingale
Marie Nightingale has dedicated her life to the culinary legacy of Atlantic Canada.  Still immensely popular, Out of Old Nova Scotia Kitchens, first published in 1970, sold more copies than any other cookbook published in Nova Scotia; the 40th anniversary edition is now in its second printing. Marie was food columnist for Halifax’s The Chronicle Herald and The Mail Star, wrote five other cookbooks relative to East Coast cooking, and was founding food editor for Saltscapes magazine.

EDNA STAEBLER AWARD

Suzanne Bergeron joined her husband in the Press Commerce Group, purchased a magazine and book store in Montreal which she operated until 1997 before starting a wine sales agency representing Quebec producers only.  Since 1998 she has been president of Gestion Bergeron & Drouin.  Suzanne also started the Quebec Farmers Union (UPA) and managed le Marché de Chez Nous between 2003 and 2006.

 

Antoino Druin worked for over 25 years with McMurray publishing, Telemedia Publishing, Décormag, Hachette International and was co-founder of the Press Commerce group. After retiring in 1997, Antoino started a wine agency with Suzanne Bergeron. In 2000, Le Marché des saveurs du Québec was created.

 

 

FOUNDERS AWARD

In 1962 J. Charles Grieco joined his father, John Grieco at La Scala, one of the most influential restaurants in Toronto. For 35 years he was the owner/operator of this iconic dining establishment. As Chair and President of the Ontario Hostelry Institute (OHI), he has built that organization into a pillar of the restaurant industry. Charles also oversees the annual OHI Gala and has been instrumental in creating scholarships and honouring countless industry leaders.