And the Winner Is…James Beard Media Awards 2025

Plus: A Bowl of Comfort from Award Winner Carolina Gelen

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I spent last weekend in Chicago for the James Beard Media Awards. It was a quick overnight trip, with barely enough time to sleep and hop on a plane home the following day.

The highlights for me were connecting with a few old friends and swimming in a glorious ocean of amazing writers and creators at the ceremony. Wow. I was sufficiently humbled by the extraordinary talent that is out there. If you want to take a peek, see the list of nominees and winners. It’s worth your time if you’re a devoted foodie, and even if you’re not.

The James Beard Media Awards, considered to be the Oscars of the food world covering books, broadcast media and journalism, awarded first-time cookbook author Carolina Gelen a medal for her book “Pass the Plate: 100 Delicious, Highly Shareable, Everyday Recipes” (Clarkson Potter.) I’ve got one of her recipes here for you to try and I’ll get to that in a sec.

There were interesting, mouthwatering books to cook from, as well as compelling books and documentaries to provide food for thought and what food to eat. It was, refreshingly, a full-on DEI night, previewed earlier in the afternoon with massive demonstrations in the streets of Chicago, so it seemed fitting. It was not devoid of the fun you would expect from a crowd of devoted foodies having their day.

Me, having fun (!)

I hadn’t seen too many of the winning entries before the event, but I’m sure to keep my eyes out for them. (Do you have a library card?) One striking book, which I was able to get my hands on thanks to the generous author whose ‘people’ were handing out copies was “McAtlas: A Global Guide to the Golden Arches” by Gary He. It actually won two awards: for Visuals, as well as for Reference, History, and Scholarship. It is a stunning research and photographic achievement that features 50 locations of the Golden Arches throughout the world. Who knew? The variety of adaptations that weave local menus into the McDonald’s theme is mind blowing.

About “Pass the Plate” by Carolina Gelen: First of all, let me just say, that young woman is a sweetheart! If you instinctively resist Instagram influencers, give it a rest for a minute.

Gelen overcame a multitude of obstacles growing up in Romania. Her parents suffered through communism, dictators, and poverty, and as a result, she was taught the only way to escape that life was to go to college and get a white collar job. She dutifully enrolled in a computer science program that left her miserable and drained. But God bless her, she soldiered on like a trooper.

Meanwhile, her childhood was full of memories of cooking with her mother and replicating recipes of their favorite TV chefs. She tells a story in her book about her parents receiving a bag of oranges every year during wintertime. Oranges were such a rare treat, and they had so little, that they ate the entire orange, even the peels. Let that sink in.

During her demanding school years, she began creating Instagram videos of her cooking experiments in her spare time to give her some joy and lightness. They caught the attention of New York Times. After creating videos for the Times, Food52 approached her to develop recipes. After a glimpse of the possibilities of doing what she loved and a few summer internships in the U.S., Gelen took a leap and emigrated to the U.S. mid-Covid.

There’s a lot to love about “Pass the Plate”. It’s filled with stories and innovative yet approachable recipes that you’ll want to cook over and over. The author’s voice is both charming and inviting. ‘Cabbage Rolls in a Casserole’, ‘The Perfect Chocolate Cake’ (true to its name), and ‘Chicken Schnitzel with Caramelized Lemon Gremolata’ are just a few you’ll want to try. The following recipe, which combines fat noodles, sweetly caramelized cabbage and onions, salted butter, and a hefty kick of cracked black pepper, is unadulterated comfort in a bowl.

Butter Noodles with Melting Onions and Cabbage
Adapted from Carolina Gelen
Serves 4 to 6 | Prep time: 20 minutes | Cook time: 40 minutes | Total time:1 hour
INGREDIENTS
1/3 cup neutral oil, such as sunflower or grapeseed, plus more as needed
1 1/2 tablespoons coarsely crushed black peppercorns
3 medium yellow onions, halved and sliced 1/4-inch thick
Kosher salt
3-pound head green cabbage, quartered, cored, and cut crosswise into 1/4-inch wide slices
1 pound egg noodles, or pasta such as tagliatelle or pappardelle
12 tablespoons salted butter, at room temperature, for serving
Extra coarsely crushed black peppercorns(for garnish)
METHOD
1. In a large pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the cracked pepper and fry for about 1 minute, or until fragrant. Add the onions and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 6 to 8 minutes, or until translucent. Add the cabbage and continue cooking, stirring frequently, for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the cabbage and onion are both golden brown and there’s a golden brown crust forming at the bottom of the pot. If the pot looks dry, add another tablespoon or so of oil to help the cabbage fry and caramelize.

2. While the cabbage cooks, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the noodles and cook for 3 minutes less than called for in the package directions. They should be slightly undercooked. Remove the pot from the heat.

3. Using tongs or a slotted spoon, add the pasta directly to the cabbage and onions and stir to combine. Add about 1/2 cup of the pasta water and scrape the bottom of the pot to release all the browned, flavorful bits from the bottom of the pot. Add more pasta water as needed to create a thin but silky sauce that clings to the noodles. Taste and add more salt as needed. Remove the pot from the heat.

4. Divide the noodles among 6 bowls and top each with 2 tablespoons of salted butter and more freshly cracked black pepper. Enjoy watching the butter melt into each bowl and stir until glossy and creamy.

Cooking Lessons
•Don’t be afraid of the amount of cracked pepper, it really makes this recipe sing
•To obtain coarse cracked pepper, place whole peppercorns in a plastic sandwich bag, close the bag, and tap the peppers with a mallet or rolling pin.
• Be sure to use salted butter, even if you don’t usually have it on hand. It adds a an extra buttery taste. Yum!

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