Taste Canada―The Food Writing Awards
announces the 2015 shortlisted authors and bloggers
Awards celebrate 18 years of honouring outstanding culinary writing in Canada

Taste Canada―The Food Writing Awards
After reviewing 96 submitted books and blog entries (69 book entries and 27 blog entries), Taste Canada—The Food Writing Awards has unveiled the shortlists. The submissions celebrate Canadian cuisine from coast-to-coast and cover a variety of culinary styles. The winners will be announced at the Gala Fundraiser and Reception on September 21st, 2015 at Oliver & Bonacini’s Arcadian Court in Toronto. In addition, Taste Canada will name this year’s Hall of Fame Award recipients, sponsored by The Culinary Historians of Canada.
“This year’s submissions are a wonderful reflection of the varied landscape in Canadian food,” said Donna Dooher, National Chair. “They speak to our culture, our history, our locally-grown ingredients, and our Canadian identity.”
Taste Canada-The Food Writing Awards, a not-for-profit organization, is the highest honour for culinary writing in the country. This year, Taste Canada is celebrating 18 years as the only award in Canada that recognizes this nation’s abundance of outstanding culinary writers, both English and French.
Drawn from Canadian academic, publishing, creative and institutional fields, this year’s judges reviewed submissions across five categories, both English and French, and have narrowed the field to three shortlisted titles in each category. This year, Taste Canada introduced a new award, 2015 Food Blog Category: Best Post.
The Taste Canada Gala Fundraiser and Reception, a unique cultural, social and gastronomic experience, will be hosted by celebrity chefs Ricardo and Vikram Vij, both of whom are previous Taste Canada winners.
Our Canadian story, as told through the art of culinary writing
More than just the ingredients we consume, food is a symbol of our shared culture, varied traditions, unique history and heritage. Food is at the heart of the Canadian identity. It is ingrained in our culture, from coast to coast. Taste Canada nurtures an industry inspired by our vibrant culture, celebrates our stories, embraces our collective history and explores our family legacies through food.
Taste Canada recognizes the writers who are inspired by Canada’s multicultural landscape, the kitchens of their ancestors and the bountiful foods we produce. Our talented authors fuse old traditions and know-how with new ingredients, ideas and techniques. They search through old family recipes and travel the world collecting mouth-watering memories and flavours for Canadians to savour.
These experiences and impressions are then artfully and painstakingly written into stories that will also be passed on from generation to generation. The medium may change: recipes may be compiled together and bound into lovely keepsake books. Or they may be posted online; with a few clicks, treasured recipes, narratives and photos are shared with the world. Meaningful storytelling, accompanied by beautiful photography, creates an exciting and memorable experience for readers, many of whom collect cookbooks like treasured family photo books.
Taste Canada: Award Categories
- General Cookbooks / Livres de Cuisine Générale
- Single-Subject Cookbooks / Livres de Cuisine Sujet Unique
- Regional/Cultural Cookbooks / Livres de Cuisine Régionale et Culturelle
- Culinary Narratives / Narrations Culinaires
- Blog / Blogue
The Taste Canada Gala Fundraiser and Reception
The Gala Fundraiser and Reception will be held at Oliver & Bonacini’s Arcadian Court, on September 21st. Tickets are on sale now. For more information, please visit www.TasteCanada.org.
Taste Canada Cooks the Books
Taste Canada Cooks the Books is a cooking competition that invites Canadian culinary students from across the nation to compete for the title of Canada’s Best New Student Chefs.
Presented by Taste Canada—The Food Writing Awards and by the Alberta Canola Producers, sponsored by The Egg Farmers of Canada and Ricardo Cuisine, Cooks the Books showcases the talent of Canada’s next generation of chefs, honours the authors and brings some of this year’s outstanding submitted cookbooks to life.
The teams are paired with a Taste Canada culinary author and given the challenge to recreate a recipe from the author’s cookbook, along with their own signature garnish.
This year, the students will compete in front of food lovers, industry professionals and peers at the new Toronto Food & Wine Festival at Evergreen Brick Works on September 19 and 20. They are joined on the stage by their mentoring author who will offer guidance and motivation. A panel of notable culinary experts will judge the competition.
The winners will be announced at the Taste Canada Gala Fundraiser and Reception on September 21st at the Arcadian Court, where they will be presented with prizes, a letter of recommendation and a trophy to display at their school.

Taste Canada―The Food Writing Awards
Taste Canada shortlists in all award categories:
ENGLISH
Culinary Narratives / Narrations Culinaires
Beerology: Everything You Need to Know to Enjoy Beer . . . Even More. Mirella Amato. Appetite by Random House, Vancouver
Getting to YUM: The 7 Secrets of Raising Eager Eaters. Karen Le Billon. HarperCollins, Toronto
Secrets of a Hutterite Kitchen: Unveiling the Rituals, Traditions, and Food of the Hutterite Culture. Mary-Ann Kirkby. Penguin Canada Books, Toronto
General Cookbooks / Livres de Cuisine Générale
Family Meals. Michael Smith. Penguin Canada Books, Toronto
Gatherings: Bringing People Together With Food. Jan Scott and Julie Van Rosendaal. Whitecap Books, Vancouver
J.K.: The Jamie Kennedy Cookbook. Jamie Kennedy and Ivy Knight. HarperCollins, Toronto
Regional/Cultural Cookbooks / Livres de Cuisine Régionale et Culturelle
Made in Quebec: A Culinary Journey. Julian Armstrong. HarperCollins, Toronto
Paris Express: Simple Food from the City of Style. Laura Calder. HarperCollins, Toronto
The SoBo Cookbook: Recipes from the Tofino Restaurant at the End of the Canadian Road. Lisa Ahier and Andrew Morrison. Appetite by Random House, Vancouver
Single-Subject Cookbooks / Livres de Cuisine Sujet Unique
Bitter: A Taste of the World’s Most Dangerous Flavor, with Recipes. Jennifer McLagan. HarperCollins, Toronto
Duchess Bake Shop. Giselle Courteau. Duchess Bake Shop, Edmonton
The Everyday Squash Cook: The Most Versatile & Affordable Superfood. Rob Firing and Ivy and Kerry Knight. HarperCollins, Toronto
Blog / Blogue
“Chicken Tikka Wings with Mango-Chilli Chutney Glaze and Yogurt Raita.” Michelle Peters-Jones. the tiffin box
“Christmas Cake.” Christina Austin. Strawberries for Supper
“Whole Roasted Cauliflower with Hazelnut, Orange, and Saffron.” Allison Day. Yummy Beet

Taste Canada―The Food Writing Awards
FRENCH
Narrations Culinaires / Culinary Narratives
Ainsi cuisinaient les belles-sœurs dans l’œuvre de Michel Tremblay : Une traversée de notre patrimoine culinaire 1913 – 1963. Anne Fortin. Flammarion Québec, Montréal
Récits de table : d’ici et d’ailleurs. Lysiane Gagnon. Les Éditions La Presse, Montréal
Livres de Cuisine Générale / General Cookbooks
Ensemble : Cuisine gourmande et colorée. Christelle Tanielian. Les Éditions La Presse, Montréal
Le garde-manger d’Andrea : 45 ingrédients et leurs secrets, 135 recettes faciles et délicieuses! Andrea Jourdan. Les Éditions Goélette, Saint-Bruno-de Montarville
Trois fois par jour, premier tome. Marilou et Alexandre Champagne. Les Éditions Cardinal, Montréal
Livres de Cuisine régionale et culturelle / Regional/Cultural Cookbooks
La récolte. Bernard Dubé. Bernard Dubé, New Richmond
Livres de Cuisine Sujet Unique / Single-Subject Cookbooks
Boulange et boustifaille : 75 recettes pour faire la fête autour du pain. Albert Elbilia, Stelio Perombelon et Éric Dupuis. Les Éditions de l’Homme, Montréal
Soupes-repas gourmandes. Anne-Louise Desjardins. Guy Saint-Jean, Éditeur, Laval
Tarte : plus de 100 recettes salées et sucrées. Isabelle Lambert. Modus Vivendi, Montréal
Blogue / Blog
« Adresses chouchou : Cabane Pied de cochon » Lynne Faubert. FrancoFoodies
« Pizza 3 minutes : saucisses italiennes, épinards, tomates cerises, cœurs d’artichauts et mozzarella » Christelle Tanielian. Christelle Is Flabbergasting

Taste Canada―The Food Writing Awards