There are two major food book awards held annually in the U.S.: the James Beard awards, and the International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) awards. (Internationally, the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards and Andre Simon Book Awards are also influential.) I'm so proud that Porto has been nominated for an IACP award in the "Culinary Travel" category!
This is a beautiful, intimate ode to Northern Portugal in general, and Porto in particular, told through the food stories of the multi-generational vendors at Bolhão Market, the oldest open-air food market in Europe. Mercado do Bolhão is currently closed for renovations and faces an uncertain future that makes the book all the more poignant.
We won't have to wait long to find out if we've won -- the awards are this Saturday, May 18! Win or lose, congratulations to Gabriella and Sonia, whose passion for Porto and vision for telling stories about its people through food was evident from the moment they contacted me back in February 2017. Agate Surrey executed that vision beautifully.
And, on a personal note, this is just one more reason to get excited about my family's upcoming trip to... drumroll... Porto! This summer, with a food tour led by Gabriella. Time to dive back into the book!