Ruth Reichl Wins The Honorable James Beard Lifetime Achievement Award

Culinary legend and food writer Ruth Reichl has been honored by the James Beard Foundation for her significant contributions to the food industry. The chef and food critic has been recognized with the 2024 Lifetime Achievement Award. Prior recipients include Madhur Jaffrey, Martin Yan, and Jessica B. Harris.

This special award is granted to industry powerhouses whose works have significantly impacted the American food and hospitality landscape. In addition to the prestigious lifetime award, Reichl has six other James Beard Awards. Her writings on food have appeared in Gourmet magazine, The New York Times, and the Los Angeles Times, and she is the author of many culinary-themed books, including several memoirs, novels, and cookbooks including "My Kitchen Year." She maintains an active Substack newsletter where readers can feast on her heartfelt words that discuss recipes, restaurants, food trends, and stories of those who love food just as much as we do. 

Before writing her first cookbook and starting a career as a food writer and editor, Ruth Reichl was a chef and co-owner of Swallow Restaurant in Berkeley, California.  Her memoirs "Tender at the Bone," "Comfort Me with Apples," and "Garlic and Sapphires" have been translated into over a dozen languages. 

No stranger to the celebrated lineup of James Beard winners, Reichl's previous James Beard Awards have recognized her thoughtful critiques of restaurants and commitment to journalism. She has also received several awards from the Association of American Food Journalists. Her ability to capture experiences and convey them in relatable ways has endeared readers to her writings. Beyond that, Reichl understands how to use the universality of food as the jumping-off point to tackle other subjects.

"I honestly think there's almost no story you can't tell through food," she told the Columbia Journalism Review. "If you want to read about women's lives throughout history, you can do it through cookbooks. If you want to teach math, you want to teach history, there's nothing you can't get to through food. It is one of the major forces in the world."

May Reichl continue to delight us with her observations and stories for many more years to come.