Nigeria’s rich culinary heritage has earned global recognition once again, as culinary anthropologist and food writer Ozoz Sokoh has become the first Nigerian cookbook author to win a prestigious James Beard Foundation Award.
Sokoh, widely known as the Nigerian Food Explorer, clinched the 2026 James Beard Award for Emerging Voice in Books for her debut cookbook, Chop Chop: Cooking the Food of Nigeria, at the foundation’s annual Media Awards ceremony held in Chicago.
The James Beard Awards, often regarded as the “Oscars of the food world,” celebrate excellence in food writing, journalism, broadcasting and culinary storytelling. Sokoh’s victory marks a groundbreaking moment not only for Nigeria but for African food literature on the global stage.
Part cookbook and part cultural archive, Chop Chop: Cooking the Food of Nigeria goes beyond recipes to document the history, traditions and stories behind Nigerian cuisine. Through its pages, Sokoh explores the diversity of Nigeria’s
This post was originally published on this site.
