It’s time for The Phila Awards again — the annual recognition of people and organizations who use food and cooking as a force for good. The awards are named after Phila Rawlings Hach, the pioneering 20th-century cook who was a force of nature in the local culinary community and one of the earliest television food celebrities in history.
Nominations come from members of the community, suggesting potential winners in several categories named after other beloved local luminaries. Here are the five categories:
Ruth Williams: Flour Power Award
Patti Myint: Cooking Up Award
Najat Aziz: Nation United Award
Tallu Quinn: Serving Spoon Award
Tana Comer: Growing Goodness Award
Examining the legacy of the local chef, and the work her grandson continues
You can discover the stories behind the namesakes and the specific criteria for each award at The Philas’ website, where nominations are open until Monday, Oct. 7, after which online voting will take place from Oct. 14 until Nov. 11.
The Phila Awards have partnered with the Tennessee Local Food Summit to host the prestigious awards ceremony and reception on Dec. 6 as part of the summit, which will run from Dec. 6 to 8 on the campus of Austin Peay State University in Clarksville. Please consider taking the time to help recognize the leaders in our food community by nominating and then voting for the Phila Awards.
We’ll let you know the winners after they are announced!
