Deepa Thomas, Mayukh Sen are James Beard Media Award winners

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Two Indian American writers, author Deepa Thomas and food and culture writer Mayukh Sen, have won the 2018 James Beard Foundation Awards.

Thomas of San Francisco, California won in the ‘Health and Special Diets’ category for her book “Deepa’s Secrets” while Sen won in the ‘Profile’ category for his story “She Was a Soul Food Sensation. Then, 19 Years Ago, She Disappeared,” which was published by Food52.

Thomas has a degree in both journalism and political science from Delhi University and has served as a trustee of the Rhode Island School of Design and a Commissioner of the Asian Art Museum; she is currently a trustee of Grace Cathedral in San Francisco.

Sen earned a bachelor’s degree in arts from Stanford University in California and was previously a staff writer at Munchies, Vice’s food publication.

Other Indian Americans who were nominated for the award this year but didn’t make the cut included Snackbar chef Vishwesh Bhatt of Oxford, Mississippi; and Tejal Rao, reporter and columnist at The New York Times.

The James Beard Foundation Awards are the most prestigious honors in the food industry, which recognize excellence among chefs, restaurants, cookbooks, food media and restaurant design.