Les Dames d'Escoffier International has selected the winners of the 2021 LDEI M.F.K. Fisher Prize, which recognizes excellence in print, broadcast, and digital content that broadens peoples’ understanding of the intersection of food and culture.
The M.F.K. Fisher Prize supports women creators and is named in honor of renowned culinary writer M.F.K. Fisher, whose trailblazing work encouraged deeper thought about the cultural significance of foodways, according to LDEI.
The winners are:
First Prize ($3,000) – Catherine Neville for the "Ramona Farms" episode of the "tasteMAKERS" documentary series airing on PBS. From the Jury: "Catherine Neville's moving celebration of Ramona Farms just outside of Phoenix shows how Ramona Button and her family cultivate crops that connect the Gila River Indian Community members with their history and heritage."
Second Prize ($2,000) – Lisa Donovan for "Our Lady of Perpetual Hunger: A Memoir," (Penguin). From the Jury: "Lisa Donovan's luminous writing deserves the widest possible audience. She writes movingly of loss in the culinary community and left the jury wanting to read more."
Third Prize ($1,000) – Pati Jinich for "Finding the Soul of Sonora in Carne Asada," published in The New York Times. From the Jury: "In a mouthwatering piece of culinary anthropology, Pati Jinich explores the Sonoran carne asada as a very special social and culinary event."
"The quality of this year's submissions was sky-high," said M.F.K. Fisher Prize Committee Chair Mindy Merrell, in a statement. "These women set a high bar for creating insightful, captivating content that shines a light on the intersection of food and culture. We're proud to recognize these winners."
Related: Opportunity Exists for Specialty Makers in Schools; NRA Educational Foundation Celebrates DEI Across Industry.