Photograph by Ken Goodman
On Friday, Food52 was named Publication of the Year by the James Beard Foundation.
Whoop! W00T! Hooray!
Shop the Story
Just as New York would be nothing without its inhabitants, Food52 would be nothing without you, our community. We built this site, but you came and made it what it is. You poured out your hearts and your delicious recipes. You gave helpful tips and answered people's cooking dilemmas. You got together to make preserves and mozzarella. In short, you came here to help create a wonderful cooking site, and we're so pleased, so thrilled, and so grateful that the James Beard Foundation saw what was happening here and gave us two handsome and shiny medals for it. We thank you all and congratulate you on what we've accomplished together!
We'd also like to thank the huge number of people who have supported us and worked with us from the beginning—our recipe testers, photographers, amazing interns, editors, writers, advisors, designers, developers, videographers, investors, friends, and very patient families.
We're still in the early days of FOOD52, and we have so many exciting projects in the works. We look forward to the next year—to cooking with all of you, to learning from you, and to making this the best cooking site we can imagine!
—Amanda & Merrill
(And you can see some clips from the awards ceremony—including A&M's thank you speech—below.)
On Black & Highly Flavored, co-hosts Derek Kirk and Tamara Celeste shine a light on the need-to-know movers and shakers of our food & beverage industry.
Listen Now
Written by: Food52
Popular on Food52
86 Comments
lastnightsdinner
May 10, 2012
food52 has changed my life. That's it, plain and simple. Thank you, and big, big congratulations.
garlic&lemon
May 10, 2012
Congratulations, richly deserved!! I am so busy that I just got to my e-mail this morning and saw this wonderful news. Food52 is one of the FEW sites I check with any regularity. I often wish I had the time to visit more or to share recipes. Thanks from the bottom of my heart for they many ways that you offer for us to share.
ctgal
May 8, 2012
A big congratulations!! I am a loyal fan and totally agree that you and your team deserve this award!
softenbrownsugar
May 8, 2012
That is truly wonderful Amanda & Merrill!
I'll bet the feelings you had when you heard you had won this terrific prize were indescribable!
You definitely deserve it!
What fun!
I'll bet the feelings you had when you heard you had won this terrific prize were indescribable!
You definitely deserve it!
What fun!
digitalfoodie
May 8, 2012
You are both an incredible inspiration. Congratulations! So well deserved.
MrsWheelbarrow
May 8, 2012
Hearty handshakes and warm hugs all around. This is an exceptional place to play with our food, and I feel so fortunate to be a part of this community. Thank you A&M. xoxox
EmilyC
May 8, 2012
Congratulations to you and the entire Food52 team on such a well-deserved honor. I'm so happy to be part of this amazingly diverse, creative, and inviting community. Here's to many more accolades in the weeks/years ahead!
Oui, C.
May 8, 2012
This award could not be more well deserved, congratulations to you and the whole Food52 team!
Bob
May 8, 2012
Brava, Amanda, Merill and the Food 52 staff and compliments for your innovative work in the culinary arts.
gingerroot
May 8, 2012
Congratulations! So richly deserved and I'm so thankful to be a part of this community. Here’s to whatever the future holds, although inevitably it will include good food and drink, great friends, and laughs along the way.
Beautiful, M.
May 8, 2012
Congratulations! So well deserved for building so much more than a publication. I am so glad to be part of this community!
Ms. T.
May 8, 2012
Wooohooo! Congratulations. It's such a fun and rewarding community to be a part of.
Allison C.
May 7, 2012
Congratulations to you both. You built it, people came, and... it's richly deserved recognition. So proud to have been even a small part of the journey from there to here. And here's to the path ahead. Can't wait to see what's next at Food52. ~ Allison
Kukla
May 7, 2012
Congratulations Amanda, Merrill and the whole team!!! I am honored to be a member of our wonderful food52 family, yes family and not just community. Your great everyday work received well deserved recognition. I am sure this is only the beginning of many more awards. Bravo!!!
Anitalectric
May 7, 2012
Hooray! Congrats to everyone on the team. This is so exciting to be a part of. xo
LLStone
May 7, 2012
A very hearty and sincere congratulations to Amanda, Merrill, and the entire team! Celebrate! I'm a Food52er and a big fan!
hardlikearmour
May 7, 2012
Congratulations on an amazing accomplishment! Here's to continued success, good food, and good friends: Cheers!
SEW
May 7, 2012
Congratulations! Awesome site, awesome community, wonderful photography (let's face it, if I can't see what it should look like, I'm lost), this site brought me back to cooking....and my sons thank you too!
Vivian H.
May 7, 2012
Bravo and congrats. I find this site - the source- always entertaining as well as informative. and the book itself is wonderfful... I bought it to give as a gift.
cheese1227
May 7, 2012
So pleased that you've been recognized for this. You've changed the landscape, ladies.
Cookie16
May 7, 2012
Omg! What an incredible honor! I can't say I'm surprised! You ladies have created something unique here, truly top notch! And we all love it dearly.
Congratulations! :)
Congratulations! :)
CinfulAZ
May 7, 2012
Congratulations, you've earned it! Thank you for your time and effort and all you put in to creating something so many of us love and use regularly.
Kitchen B.
May 7, 2012
How awesome are you ALL - the works, all of Food52 - Inspring lot. Lots of love and many congratulations
mariaraynal
May 7, 2012
This is so great -- really just so happy for the whole Food52 team and the wonderful community of people who make it my "food home" on the web. Keep up the creativity, entrepreurial spirit and dash of wicked fun!
Brain H.
May 7, 2012
A&M, thank you for being champions for home cooks everywhere! Food52 has changed so much about how I cook, and how I think about food. It definitely has enriched my life.
jenniebgood
May 7, 2012
I am so thrilled for you, Amanda, Merrill, the F52 crew and the entire community of cooks that contributed to the first book! Congrats to all of you. From the moment I discovered this site it quickly became my "go to" source for all things food-related- recipes, ideas, articles, feedback. I hope you will be around for a long time. Can't wait to see what comes next!
Hilarybee
May 7, 2012
Amazing. I love being part of Food52, sharing with wonderful people, learning new ways to cook and eat. Food52 has been a confidence builder for me, and the positive feedback from the site was one of the reasons I started a small food cottage industry.
drbabs
May 7, 2012
Congratulations! And from the bottom of my heart, thank you. This site has changed my life.
Bevi
May 7, 2012
How wonderful for you both. You deserve so much credit not only for what you have done on this site, but for being the vessel from which we have found inspiration, challenge, and - for me the most important benefit - a host of new friends of like minds. Thank you so very much!
Amy P.
May 7, 2012
WOW - I'm late to the party but CONGRATULATIONS. I'm thrilled and honored to be a contributor. oxo
EmilyNunn
May 7, 2012
Congratulations, Amanda and Merrill--you've given us all a great community on top of the best publication of the year--or EVER. Thank you so much for all your inspiration and hard work. Cliches, I know, but I can't think of a better way to say it. Food52 is groundbreaking and life-changing. xo
BocaCindi
May 7, 2012
I've said it before and I'll say it again: Best cooking-site blog on the Internet. Fabulous job! Congrats to all the staff and to all those recipe testers. You make my day!
Waverly
May 7, 2012
A well-deserved award!! Congratulations!....to all of Food52 but especially to Amanda and Merrill.
Scribbles
May 7, 2012
Congrats! I have so loved this site: the terrific recipes, great writing and amazing people so willing to share. I celebrate the day I discovered this site. Here's to many more years of cooking motivation!!
Burnt O.
May 7, 2012
I couldn't be more thrilled and prouder for you two, and for all the wonderful people who work so hard behind the scenes at Food52. It really is a testament to the hard work and vision you guys inspire, but it also says SO, SO much about the importance of community. Everyone at Food52 is so accessible, responsive, and really truly care what the community thinks and wants. The fact that you strive every day to make a site that engages people in cooking and feeding others, while still trying to be "cutting edge" in a brave new world of virtual business models, really speaks volumes to your entrepreneurship, innovation, and creativity. I am honored to be a part of this incredibly vibrant community and look forward to its future.
Pammorgan
May 7, 2012
Congratulations to the both of you. Your writing is superb and I love
reading your blog. You are an inspiration to food lovers everywhere!!
reading your blog. You are an inspiration to food lovers everywhere!!
deanna1001
May 7, 2012
Yea...hurray! So right. Congrats to you and the whole community! Nice to be recognized.
Maria T.
May 7, 2012
Amanda and Merril, congratulations and well done, you SO deserve it! It's been so inspiring to be with you two girls all this time!
DAVILCHICK
May 7, 2012
So proud of you guys! Congrats! Well done and well deserved!! Keep up the great work!
Foodelf
May 7, 2012
What an achievement - we're all so proud of you. Congratulations and thank you for Food52!!
bjk527
May 7, 2012
This is one of my favorite sites, good to know others think so too.
Job well done. Congratulations.
Job well done. Congratulations.
thirschfeld
May 7, 2012
I think what says it all for me is how down to earth Food52 is and to prove my point just look at the very top of this page and the previous post. Disco Fries!
calendargirl
May 7, 2012
Brava and hearty congratulations! And how grand that the James Beard Foundation recognized your genius in creating Food52 and that it is a publication. Brilliant!
fiveandspice
May 7, 2012
YAY!!!!!!! Congratulations!!!! Everybody deserves credit, but you guys really do deserve to win big for the way you've fostered the spirit of this site. It's mind-boggling and wonderful and I'm beyond thrilled for you that the James Beard Foundation recognized the sheer awesomeness of it!
aargersi
May 7, 2012
Yahoo and Congratulations! You have created a community that has enriched all of our lives and for that we thank you!!! So well deserved!
See what other Food52 readers are saying.