The 2010 IACP cookbook awards were presented last Thursday in Portland, OR, and Asian Dumplings did not win. Colleagues and friends were rooting for the book at the gala ceremonies. Katie Christ and Leslie Jonath, two pals who sat next to me, gave me lower lip pouts and hugs when Go Fish was announced as the winner in the single subject category.
There were more hugs and downcast looks when the lights came up and the crowd of 1,000 or so dispersed. On Friday, friends on Twitter and Facebook, such as Ivy Manning, Robyn Eckhardt, and Wendy Tien reminded me that I do impactful work. Asian Dumplings photographer Penny De Los Santos and recipe tester Candace Grover sent good wishes that made my smile.
Luke Nguyen, nominated for The Songs of Sapa, got me laughing. “At least two of the greatest books of all time were nominated,” he humorously emailed from Sydney, Australia.
Was I disappointed? Of course! Who likes losing? Nobody. It sucks.
But I had the great honor to have been a finalist. This is my second cookbook and I’ve been a finalist four times between IACP and James Beard. That's darn good, Aaron Wehner reminded me; he's the publisher at Ten Speed Press and was my editor on Into the Vietnamese Kitchen.
There are many other worthy cookbooks that should and could have been contenders. Awards such as these are strange, and it can be hard to make sense of the final results. As the sting wore off, I thought of the following:
Dumplings vs. sticks vs. fish: If my book was up against another dumpling book, it would have been a fair match. But my Asian doughy self was in a category with Francis Mallman’s Seven Fires, a sumptuously photographed Argentine grilling book and New Zealand celebrity chef Al Brown’s Go Fish, an homage to fish.
Try, try, try again: Michel Richard won at the 2007 James Beard Foundation awards in the Outstanding Chef category. In his acceptance speech, he said that he had been nominated twelve (12!) times and finally triumphed! Richard is one of the most accomplished chefs in America and I’d been following his career since the 1980s. Actor Jeff Bridges made over 60 movies and had been nominated 4 times for an Oscar before he won this year for Crazy Heart.
Give it your all and enjoy: Charles Phan and Slanted Door have been short listed for several Beard awards. The first year, he and his wife attended. When he saw that some of the other chefs had brought their crew, he did the same the next time he was nominated. Charles didn’t win that year. But he and his loyal long-time Slanted Door staff flew to New York and had a blast going around town. It was their way of celebrating the James Beard Foundation's recognition. (I ate all the foie gras and drank all the bubbly I could at the 2007 Beards. This year, I became very familiar with Portland’s food carts!)
Take the edge off: Award-winning author Naomi Duguid gave me this great advice before the 2007 IACP awards where my Vietnamese cookbook was up for best first book and best international cookbook: We have been where you are many times. Sometimes you won’t understand the judge’s final decision. Have a drink. (I cozied up to a Manhattan that evening. Last Thursday, it was red wine.)
Many thanks for reading, cooking, and supporting my work. Next week, I’m signing a contract with Ten Speed Press for the next book. (It’s another Asian single subject.) Will the third one be the charm? I don’t know. What’s important is making a cookbook that people will use and keep around.
Related links: 2010 IACP Cookbook Award winners
TikiPundit says
Sorry you didn't win, because it was a competition. But, the difference between awards and quality is not always recognized by a voting community. The level of effort over time will determine your quality (which has already been displayed for some time, and will no doubt continue to be evident). That quality may be what really matters, both to consumers and yourself. Second-hand bookstores are full to the rafters of winning cookbooks written by cooks who faded away. They were flash-in-the-pan, so to speak 🙂
Jai says
Your last line in this post says it all, people are using your cookbooks to make and enjoy good, healthy food. That's something to be REALLY proud of! Ciao.
Amy says
if it makes you feel any better, I just used your cookbook today. Keep 'em coming & hold your head up!
Diane says
Sorry you didn't win, but to many of us you are already a total winner. I use your cookbooks, and they rock!
Gayle says
I have cooked my way through Into the Vietnamese Kitchen, and have found you to be the best teacher out there (you finally gave me the confidence to make caramel sauce!), not to mention a great storyteller. I now have Asian Dumplings, and it looks to be just as wonderful an experience. I will always buy your books and follow your blog, so please keep doing exactly what you're doing!
naomi duguid says
Hey Andrea,
You are so great to write about this, the honour of getting nominated and the pang of not winning. It is all so much a matter of chance, this one-winner-pick. Being in the running is the big deal.
You are now so respected for what you do; you're no longer just starting out but instead an established writer. Peopel rely on you for a fresh look at thing and they rely on your books. think of all the kitchens your book lives in. THAT is the important thing, right?
You deserve all that repect and recognition. Huge congrats!!
hugs from Toronto,
naomi
Sandra Gutierrez says
Dear Andrea,
You are a winner already! I didn't get a chance to say hi in Portland but I was there rooting for you! Yours is a beautiful book!!Congratulations on your nomination.
Amy says
I think the true test is the test of time. No question about it, your book has legs! Who will remember those awards in the future? Not me.
vanessa says
I too was rooting for you. But please know that your cookbook Into the Vietnamese Kitchen is one of the most used ones on my shelf. Every recipe is clear. Every story compelling. Everything delicious. Even more important, you have taught me so much about Vietnamese cooking that I sometimes don't even need the book to get the flavor profile right and make a delightful, simple dinner. Now that's a true gift. Don't own Asian Dumplings yet, but I know it's a winner! You are doing important work.
Nancie McDermott says
From your newspaper food articles; your Saveur feature stories and other periodical and freelance journalism; to your constantly-enhanced smorgasbord of a website Viet World Kitchen; to your blog; your TWO ground-breaking, gorgeous, practical, inviting, brilliant, now-and-forever cookbooks, to your flowing Facebook posts, tweets and on through whatever comes next, you do work that makes a difference. You keep planting on planting, tending, and enlarging the 'garden;, in terms of Asian food, home cooking, restaurant cooking, and on the deep subject of food-in-life. You do it daily, energetically, in infinite ways that bless the world. Your body of work speaks for itself, and what it says about you is: Here is the Gold-Star, Blue-Ribbon, Dynamite Super-Duper Number One Real Deal Best! If you had a dollar for all the folks in the know who believe you should have won first prize for both these books, you wouldn't NEED that enormous advance that your publisher is even now preparing to bestow upon you! My gratitude and applause to you for your body of work, and also for your generous and creative spirit. You're the best.
Andrea Nguyen says
Goodness, I didn't expect such an amazing outpouring of support. I blushing and grabbing a kleenex.
Thank you -- particularly to Naomi and Nancie as your works have inspired me so much over the years.
Let's start anew, folks!
Dianne Jacob says
Andrea,
Congrats on being a finalist. I have been an IACP judge. Just three people decide, and if two of the three think it's the best book to come across their desks in 50 years and the third one doesn't, your book can't win.
Seems odd when we're sitting at the gala, and IAP looks like a huge organization. No point in thanking the "academy" when so few people decide.
Beard is the same. Three judges per category, and no second round. At least with IACP, the judges have a second round of and have to re-evaluate their decisions.
Hope you enjoyed it anyway and are now back to your magnificent career and writing.
Andrea Nguyen says
Dianne -- You've just pulled the curtain back to expose the Wizard of Oz.
Many people describe Beard and IACP cookbook awards as the Oscars and Golden Globe awards, respectively. But the judging process differs as you've described above. And, the cookbook awards have not historically boosted sales as the public isn't fully aware of these cookbook awards.
This all may change in the very long-run but for now, these awards are what we've got in our industry to recognize excellence. Maybe we're in the wrong industry?
I had a blast in Portland and made new friends and got acquainted with old ones. Hope to see you in the Bay Area soon!
Ivy Manning says
You, Miss Andrea, are one class act.
Anita says
That you managed to talk about your disappointment, put it all in perspective, and avoid anything that remotely sounds like sour grapes is a great testament to your talent.
I know it's small consolation, but I do think this is one of those cases where it's a great honor to be a finalist -- a sentiment that's growing the more I learn about these sorts of awards. (Dianne's comment above is particularly enlightening.) You are in excellent company.
Elissa Altman says
You, my friend, are a remarkable creator of remarkable books. I've said it before and I will say it again: you should be declared a national treasure. Naomi is right: have a drink, chill out, and understand deep down that what you do is enormously important, and brilliant.
And if I'd been there I would have kicked the judges in the shins. But that doesn't matter.
x
Andrea Nguyen says
Ha, love it that you'd stick up for me by kicking someone in the shins.
Thanks, y'all!
Robyn says
Yay! The best salve for 'I didn't win' hurt -- another book contract. Congratulations.
I personally don't understand why your dumpling book wasn't up in the International category, but whatever. As I tweeted, that book has had such an impact in so many kitchens. Not to mention you're past first printing. Those two facts combined make it a winner IMO.
We've been up for a few 'worldwide' blog awards now, and we never win. As you write, nobody likes to lose. But I really do feel that the honor is in the nomination. And you've got four under your belt.
Looking forward to your next great, seminal work.
Mary says
There are too many cookbooks that I call "trophy" books. They win awards and look pretty on the outside/inside, but when you see them in people's homes the spines are barely cracked.
Your Asian recipes actually work. You are the Julia Child of Asian cuisine. I got rid of my other Asian cookbooks after discovering your work. I think the true test of a cookbook's success is whether people are using it in 10, 20 years. How many grease stains are on the pages? Your books are lasting. Congratulations and thank you!
Jarrett says
Congrats on your nomination, and better luck next time around Andrea (there will be a next time!) Hopefully we'll get to do some eating research over on this side of the world, for your next volume.
The best news is that there is still a lot more to come from you. You've got so much to be proud of.
Jarrett
Andrea Nguyen says
Robyn, Mary and Jarrett: You know how to lifting a girl's spirits. I hope to return the favor to you some day!
The best part about writing is the obsession. And now, I'll be OCD on something else. But I'll keep making a dumpling here and there. Addictions are hard to give up.
Kimberlea says
This comment doesn't have anything to do with your post (sorry you didn't win btw!), but I just read an article about Vietnamese Cajun food in the NY Times today and saw that you were quoted 🙂
Andrea Nguyen says
Hi Kimberlea -- Yep, that was me! Thanks for the shout out!
Annie says
Hi Andrea! Phooey to the judges for not seeing the winner in your book! I LOVE your book and I think you have a great voice as a cookbook writer. When I read your books, I feel like I'm having a conversation with you through your book--you make a connection with your readers. And I believe I've recommended your book to more people than any other cookbook--hey, at the end of the day royalties count the most no? 😉
I can't wait to find out what your next book is about (and to buy it, of course!). And I'm hoping it takes you to Sarawak for research. We would love to host you!
terri says
I'm sorry that you didn't win--I know that there aren't any words that can take that sting away. But to me, and a lot of others, you're far more than the sum of your books. You're a strong, confident Asian woman who has succeeded in a highly competitive field--you're a role model to me, even though cooking is just my hobby. Your blog is one of the things that inspires me and keeps me sane (as I attempt to slog through this dissertation). Thank you for being you!
Andrea Nguyen says
Thanks Annie and Terri -- It's folks like you who let me know that what I do TRULY matters. Seriously.
Bell says
I don't usually spend a lot of time online reading blogs or article unless the are about football or cycling. You cant win them all!
Canada Goose says
The secret of success is constancy of purpose.
marlon says
Vietnamese cooking that I sometimes don't even need the book to get the flavor profile right and make a delightful, simple dinner.