We are proud to highlight the recognition of one of our members, Paula Wolfert, who you will read below is one of the most influential cookbook authors we could ever meet. Paula has been a DAI member since we started this organisation, as well as a an active dementia advocate, and has been a member of the Richard Taylor Support Group for many years. She is also friends with renowned Australian cook Maggie Beer and also Peter Morgan, who wrote a blog about dementia and food in 2017.
She is being recognised today at The JBF James Beard Foundation Awards for her exceptional work spanning more than 50 years in food, and which included writing many cook books.
CONGRATULATIONS PAULA
Follow the Beard Awards online and catch all the action! They'll be streaming the ceremony live on Twitter and at jamesbeard.org/awards, starting with a red carpet pre-show at 6:30 P.M. ET / 5:30 P.M. CT.
Some of us have seen her beautiful Red Carpet gown, and encourage you all to watch this amazing woman, who many of us are proud to call a friend, receive this prestigious award.
For minute-to-minute winner updates, stay tuned to our Twitter feed for the James Beard Awards Gala at Lyric Opera of Chicago on Monday, May 7. (And, in case you missed it, here's the list of all our 2018 Media Award winners, announced on April 27 in New York City.) Be sure to follow us on Instagram for backstage snaps of winners, food by our talented gala chefs, and more behind-the-scenes action. Join the party by tagging your own posts with #jbfa!
You can read more about Paula on her website. Her latest book, UNFORGETTABLE: The Bold Flavors of Paula Wolfert's Renegade Life tells the story of culinary legend and author of nine award-winning cookbooks, Paula Wolfert, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in 2013. This culinary biography, written by Emily Kaiser Thelin and photographed by Eric Wolfinger, shares more than fifty of her most iconic dishes and explores the relationship between food and memory.
And finally, the theme of this year’s James Beard Awards is RISE, and it is meant to celebrate the collective spirit of our community and the power of food. Whether championing causes, speaking up for those who can’t be heard, or cooking their hearts out, our food community rises to make this world a better, more sustainable, and more delicious place for everyone. What do you rise for? Download an "I rise for" sign and share it with us using #jbfa.
Unforgettable, cooking from Paula Wolfert's memoir
Paula Wolfert may be the most influential cookbook author you've never heard of. She never had a restaurant. She never had a television show, but through the stories and recipes in her 9 cookbooks, she helped popularize foods we now take for granted; the couscous, preserved lemons and tagines of Morocco; the duck confit and the cassoulet of France and the muhammara, sumac, pomegranate molasses, maras and urfa pepper of the Middle East.
Chef Ana discovered the flavors of Turkey with the help of Paula. To celebrate the new biography about Paula by Emily Kaiser Thelin, titled Unforgettable: The Bold Flavors of Paula Wolfert's Renegade Life, Chef Ana will demonstrate a few of her mentor's recipes from the book. Recipes will include: Mussels Saganaki, Sprinkle Pie, Bulgur Blended with Greens, and Balkan-style Kebobs.