CULINARY MAGIC IN THE YEAR’S BEST COOKBOOKS

At the Taste Canada Awards, Taste of Persia ( Artisan) by Naomi Duguid won gold in the regional/cultural category. The book has received numerous accolades, including the James Beard Award for Best Book of the Year, International. Pailin Chongchitnant was awarded silver for Hot Thai Kitchen ( Appetite by Random House). Restaurants swept the general category. James Walt of Whistler, B.C.’s Araxi Restaurant took gold for Araxi: Roots to Shoots (Figure 1 Publishing), while restaurant chain Earls (Appetite by Random House) won silver. It was all about baking in the single-subject category, with Daphna Rabinovitch taking gold for The Baker in Me ( Whitecap), and Anna Olson winning silver for Bake with Anna Olson (Appetite by Random House).