Toronto chef Suzanne Barr among finalists for Taste Canada Awards celebrating Canadian food writing
The awards celebrate Canada’s best cookbooks of the year
Toronto chef Suzanne Barr is among the finalists for the 2023 taste Canada Awards. The prizes annually celebrate the year's best in Canadian food writing. Gold and silver medal winners were awarded across five English-language and five French-language categories.
Barr is nominated in the culinary narratives category for her memoir My Ackee Tree. Barr began her journey to become a chef when she was 30 years old. After her mother was diagnosed with cancer, Suzanne moved home to Florida to care for her, but she didn't know how to cook. My Ackee Tree tells the story of a woman who battles the stereotypes of being a Black female chef to become a culinary star. It is a celebration of creativity, soul searching and motherhood.
Barr is a chef, restaurateur, social advocate and author. She was one of the judges on Food Network Canada's new series, Wall of Chefs, and has a passion for local community and food security. Barr lives in Toronto.
My Ackee Tree was co-written with Suzanne Hancock, the Toronto-based host and producer of the podcast Sunday Night Dinner.
Also nominated in the culinary narratives category is writer and filmmaker Cheuk Kwan for Have You Eaten Yet? Stories from Chinese Restaurants Around the World. Have You Eaten Yet? explores the global Chinese migration and how Chinese immigrants grapple with assimilation, cultural identity and economic survival.
Popular chef Bonnie Stern is nominated in the general cookbook category for Don't Worry, Just Cook, which she co-wrote with her daughter, Anna Rupert. Don't Worry, Just Cook invites readers to share food and recipes with family and friends through the generations.
The winners will be announced on Oct. 30, 2023 at a ceremony in Toronto.
You can see the complete shortlist for the English-language awards below.
The finalists in the culinary narratives category are:
- Cooking Tips for Desperate Fishwives: An Island Memoir by Margot Fedoruk
- Have You Eaten Yet? Stories from Chinese Restaurants Around the World by Cheuk Kwan
- My Ackee Tree: A Chef's Memoir of Finding Home in the Kitchen by Suzanne Barr, with Suzanne Hancock
- Recipes and Reciprocity: Building Relationships in Research, edited by Hannah Tait-Neufeld and Elizabeth Finnis
- What We Talk About When We Talk About Dumplings, edited by John Lorinc
The finalists in the general cookbooks category are:
- Don't Worry, Just Cook: Delicious, Timeless Recipes for Comfort & Connection by Bonnie Stern & Anna Rupert
- Make Every Dish Delicious: Modern Classics and Essential Tips for Total Kitchen Confidence by Lesley Chesterman
- More Mandy's: More Recipes We Love by Mandy Wolfe, Rebecca Wolfe & Meredith Erickson
- The Best of Bridge Everyday Celebrations by Sylvia Kong & Emily Richards
- The Lemon Apron Cookbook: Seasonal Recipes for the Curious Home Cook by Jennifer Emilson
The finalists in the regional/cultural cookbooks category are:
- Langdon Hall: A Cookbook by Jason Bangerter & Chris John
- New Indian Basics: 100 Traditional and Modern Recipes from Arvinda's Family Kitchen by Preena Chauhan & Arvinda Chauhan
- Only in Saskatchewan: Recipes & Stories from the Province's Best-Loved Eateries by Naomi Hansen
- Peak Season: 12 Months of Recipes Celebrating Ontario's Freshest Ingredients by Deirdre Buryk
- Where the River Narrows: Classic French & Nostalgic Québécois Recipes From St. Lawrence Restaurant by J-C Poirier with Joie Alvaro Kent
The finalists in the single-subject cookbook category are:
- Caesar Country: Cocktails, Clams & Canada by Aaron Harowitz & Zack Silverman
- Fermenting Made Simple: Delicious Recipes to Improve your Gut Health by Emillie Parrish
- Great Scoops: Recipes from a Neighborhood Ice Cream Shop by Marlene Haley, Amelia Ryan & Anne DesBrisay
- The Artful Pie Project: A Sweet and Savoury Book of Recipes by Denise Marchessault & Deb Garlick
- The Miracle of Salt: Recipes and Techniques to Preserve, Ferment, and Transform Your Food by Naomi Duguid
The finalists in the health or special diet cookbooks category are:
- Butter and Flower: Cannabis-Infused Recipes and Stories for the Cannacurious by Ann Allchin
- Good for Your Gut: A Plant-based Digestive Health Guide and Nourishing Recipes for Living Well by Desiree Nielsen, RD
- PlantYou: 140+ Ridiculously Easy, Amazingly Delicious, Plant-Based, Oil-Free Recipes by Carleigh Bodrug
- The Edgy Veg Easy Eats by Candice Hutchings
- The Two Spoons Cookbook: More Than 100 French-Inspired Vegan Recipes by Hannah Sunderani
