P.E.I.'s Watson Brings Home Gold 10/1/2003     Canadian Food Culture Award Winner, Julie Watson     Charlottetown author, Julie V. Watson, was the recipient of the Gold Canadian Food Culture Award presented by Cuisine Canada and The University of Guelph for her book, Simple Pleasures from our Maritime Kitchens: Anecdotes, History & Recipes. The award was presented during the National Culinary Book Awards 2003 celebration at the Toronto Hilton Hotel. The most coveted prizes, the gold awards for best cookbooks of the year included the Canadian Food Culture Category which honours books that best reflect Canadian food history and culture. The awards were sponsored by the Canadian Tourism Commission and KitchenAid. Twelve judges from across Canada selected the winners from dozens of Canadian books nominated. ''I’m so thrilled to win in this category,'' says Watson. ''It is recognition of the importance of the contributions of women in the overall scheme of family life, and of Maritime Canada in the social history of our country.'' ''The book also allowed me to focus attention on the products produced in the region, the people who work with them from the farmers and fishermen to the cooks and chefs, as well as the historians who work to acknowledge the efforts of those who went before us. Altogether it was very gratifying that it was the one that won national recognition.'' In her acceptance speech Watson acknowledged her publisher, Raincoast Books of Vancouver, for allowing her to tell the story of Maritime cuisine in her own way, her peers in the writing community who she refers to as her national support group and those who insisted she was going to win and must go to Toronto. ''Perhaps the most important aspect of winning an award such as this is the outpouring of support,'' he says. ''That itself is a wonderful gift far more valuable that the piece of glass on the stereo.'' Simple Pleasures From Our Maritime Kitchens is the author’s 16th book and is available at local bookstores, The Island Craft Shop in Charlottetown and Cavendish Figurines in Bordon-Carleton. This, and other awards presented during the 6th annual National Culinary Book Awards are a continuation of Cuisine Canada’s tradition of recognizing Canada’s leading food writers according to a media release. Cuisine Canada is a national alliance of Canadian culinary professionals who share a common desire to encourage the development, use and recognition of fine Canadian food and beverages. The University of Guelph has, for more that 140 years, contributed to Canadian cuisine in its programs in agriculture, food science, hotel and tourism management and other related fields. The University of Guelph’s Library Archival and Special Collection has one of North America’s best culinary collections, which includes Watson’s works, housed in the Canadian Cookbook Collection. Because cookery and dining are fundamental human activities, cookbooks often record important traditions and document cultural changes in Canadian life, says the Library of its culinary collections. ''This collection is used by researchers from across the world, interested in the historical and sociological aspects of foods, nutrition, cookery, household economy, manners, women’s studies, and bibliographical features of the books themselves.'' Source: Julie Watson, Creative Connections Posted by: PEIBWA