Five Australian Recipe Books Receive James Beard Nominations

The best Australian cookbooks of last year were so bloody good, a handful have just been nominated for James Beard Awards. 

The American foundation, sometimes referred to as “the Oscars of the food world”, recognises cookbook authors, illustrators, designers, publishers and journalists across the world, as well as honouring top US chefs and restaurants. It’s just named five Aussie titles for its 2026 Media Awards – most of them debuts by their respective authors. 

Baking and the Meaning of Life, by Malaysian Australian author Helen Goh, who lives in London, was nominated alongside Patchanida Chimkire with Mali Bakes in the Baking and Desserts category. The former, by the long-time Ottolenghi collaborator, combined baking with her experience as a trained psychologist to create one of the most singular cookbooks of last year. The latter brought the Melbourne baker’s vivid celebration cakes to life on the page.

For its impressive design, Chimkire’s book received a second nomination in the Visual category. So too did Japanese Australian author Yoko Nakazawa for her book The Japanese Art of Pickling & Fermenting, which was also nominated in the Single Subject category, acknowledging titles “based on a single ingredient, dish or method of cooking”. 

Masterchef winner Nat Thaipun’s Thai: Anywhere and Everywhere was nominated in the International category for its presentation of Thai cuisine “in its cultural context” including “history, distinctive characteristics and techniques”. (We’d give it a nomination based on this larb recipe alone.)

And in the Beverages With Recipes category, The Madrusan Cocktail Companion, by The Everleigh co-founders Michael and Zara Madrusan, was nominated for its astounding collection of more than 2800 drinks from the last 160 years, edited by Sydney-based food and drinks journalist Matty Hirsch. 

Australia has history with the prestigious, sometimes controversial awards. In 2024, Josh Niland won Best Restaurant and Professional Cookbook for Fish Butchery: Mastering the Catch, Cut and Craft after becoming the first Australian to win a James Beard award in 2020 for The Whole Fish Cookbook.

Also that year, New York Times recipe developer Hetty Lui McKinnon took out the vegetable-focused cooking category for her fifth cookbook Tenderheart; and Mat Lindsay and Pat Nourse’s Ester: Australian Cooking received a nomination in the same category as Niland. Rosheen Kaul and Joanna Hu’s Chinese-ish won Best Visuals in 2023. 

The winners of the 2026 James Beard Media Awards will be announced at the Art Institute of Chicago on Saturday June 13.