The 2009 Canadian Culinary Book Awards are closer than you think. This summer our judges will be reading, testing and weighing their decisions.

This year, 56 titles vie for top honours. While the subject matter varies widely, all books have met the same publishing criteria and are :

• Written by a Canadian author (Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Canada).
• Published by a Canadian publisher or self-published in Canada.
• Published between January 1, 2008 and December 31, 2008.

If an entry is a revised book, it must meet the above conditions and also contain a minimum of  30% new material.

While the list is also posted on the University of Guelph Library website, we’re listing the books here for your convenience. And now, without further ado, here are the 2009 nominees. Good luck to all the authors.

Cookbook Category, English Language

• Baird, Elizabeth, The Complete Canadian Living Baking Book: The Essentials of Home Baking (Transcontinental Books, Montreal)
• Bajger, Jennifer Sayers, The Canadian Harvest Cookbook (Lone Pine Publishing, Edmonton)
• Crewe, Gerry, Cooking with Beer: Favourites of Newfoundland and Labrador (Creative Publishers, St. John’s)
• Crosby, Joy, Molasses Inspirations (Formac Publishing Company, Limited, Halifax)
• Curtis, Marty, Marty’s World Famous Cookbook (Whitecap Books Ltd., North Vancouver)
• Geraghty, Warren, West: The Cookbook (Douglas & McIntyre Ltd. Vancouver)
• Knight, Chris, Road Grill (McArthur & Company,Toronto)
• Lambert, Jill, A Good Catch: Sustainable Seafood Recipes from Canada’s Top Chefs (Greystone Books, Vancouver)
• Love, Ginny, Simply Love: A Family Cookbook (Hedgerow Press, Sidney, B.C.)
• McLagan, Jennifer, Fat: An Appreciation of a Misunderstood Ingredient, with Recipes (McClelland & Stewart Ltd., Toronto)
• Nowlan, Sandra, Delicious DASH Flavors: The Proven, Drug-Free, Doctor-Recommended Approach to Reducing High Blood Pressure (Formac Publishing Company Ltd., Halifax).
• Olson, Anna, In the Kitchen with Anna: New Ways with the Classics (Whitecap Books Ltd., North Vancouver).
• Reader, Ted, Napoleon’s Everyday Gourmet Grilling (Key Porter Books Limited, Toronto).
• Rocco, David, David Rocco’s Dolce Vita (HarperCollins Publishers Ltd., Toronto).
• Sedlak, Anthony, The Main: Recipes (Whitecap Books Ltd., North Vancouver).
• Smoliak, Brad, The Canadian Barbecue Cookbook (Lone Pine Publishing, Edmonton).
• Stempfle, Laurie, Ed., Small Plates for Sharing (Company’s Coming Publishing Limited, Edmonton).
• Stern, Bonnie, Friday Night Dinners (Random House Canada, Toronto).

Special Interest Category, English Language

• Abbott, Elizabeth, Sugar: A Bittersweet History (Penguin Group (Canada), Toronto)
• Alford, Jeffrey and Naomi Duguid, Beyond the Great Wall: Recipes and Travels in the Other China (Random House Canada, Toronto)
• Beck, Leslie, Foods That Fight Disease: A Nutrition Guide to Staying Healthy for Life (Penguin Group (Canada), Toronto)
• Bourette, Susan, Carnivore Chic: From Pasture to Plate, a Search for the Perfect Meat (Viking Canada, Toronto)
• Bradshaw, Brenda, and Cheryl Mutch, The Good Food Book for Families (Random House Canada, Toronto)
• Gollner, Adam Leith, The Fruit Hunters: A Story of Nature, Obsession, Commerce, and Adventure (Doubleday Canada, Toronto)
• Grescoe, Taras, Bottomfeeder: How to Eat Ethically in a World of Vanishing Seafood (HarperCollins Publishers Ltd, Toronto)
• Heintz, Karla, Picky? Not Me, Mom!: A Parents’ Guide to Children’s Nutrition (Nutrition With K Ltd., Calgary)
• Marentette, Madeleine, Grail Springs Holistic Detox for Body, Mind & Spirit (McArthur & Company, Toronto)
• Roig, Denise, Butter Cream: A Year in a Montreal Pastry School (Signature Editions, Winnipeg)
• Steele, Jae, Get It Ripe: A Fresh Take on Vegan Cooking and Living (Arsenal Pulp Press, Vancouver)
• Walker, Marilyn, Wild Plants of Eastern Canada: Identifying, Harvesting and Using (Nimbus Publishing, Halifax)

Canadian Food Culture Category, English Language

• Driver, Elizabeth, Culinary Landmarks: A Bibliography of Canadian Cookbooks 1825 – 1949 (University of Toronto Press, Toronto)
• Flinn, Craig, Fresh & Local: Straight from Canadian Farms to Your Table (Formac Publishing Company Limited, Halifax)
• Hobsbawn-Smith, Dee, Shop talk: The OpenAllHours Guide to Finding Great Ingredients (Last Impression Publishing, Calgary)
• Murray, Rose, A Taste of Canada: A Culinary Journey (Whitecap Books Ltd., North Vancouver)
• Ogryzlo, Lynn, Niagara Cooks: From Farm to Table — A Delicious Adventure (Epulum Books Inc., Toronto)
• Stewart, Anita, Anita Stewart’s Canada (HarperCollins Publishers Ltd, Toronto)
• Virany, Margret Kell, Eating at Church: A Book Of Recipes from Aylmer and Eardley United (Virany & Virany Desktop Publishers, Gatineau)
• Webb, Margret, Apples to Oysters: A Food Lover’s Tour of Canadian Farms (Penguin Group Canada, Toronto)

Catégorie Livres de cuisine, langue française

• Belmont, Jean-Claude, Une passion à savourer : les fromages du terroir québécois (Jean-Claude Belmont éditeur gourmand, Laval)
• Bernard, Gemma R., Les secrets culinaires de maman (Les Publications Modus Vivendi inc, Montréal)
• Breton, Marie, and Isabelle Emond, Nouveaux en cuisine : s’équiper, s’organiser et … cuisiner (Flammarion Québec, Montréal)
• Ferrer, Jérôme, Les secrets des sauces révélés par Jérôme Ferrer (Les éditions La Presse, Montréal)
• Larrivée, Ricardo, Ricardo : parce qu’on a tous de la visite : cuisiner en toutes circonstances (Les éditions La Presse, Montréal)
• Le Cunff, Franck, and Johanne Mercier, Cocktails dînatoires : bouchées, cuilléres et verrines faciles à préparer (Les éditions de l’Homme, Montréal)
• Marcotte, Louis-François, Simple et chic (Flammarion Québec, Montréal)
• Morin, Marie-Claude, Recettes pour bébés et enfants (Les Publications Modus Vivendi inc, Montréal)
• Penny, Robert James, L’anarchie culinaire selon Bob le Chef (Les éditions La Presse, Montréal)
• Plante, Jean-François, Bistro (Les éditions de l’Homme, Montréal)
• Rivard, Louise, La Bible des conserves (Les Publications Modus Vivendi inc, Montréal)
• Rizzardo, Sœur Angèle, Dans la cuisine de Sœur Angèle (Les éditions La Presse, Montréal)
• Samson, Anne, Cuisiner les légumes oubliés du Québec (Les Publications Modus Vivendi inc, Montréal)
• Taillefer, Claudette, with the collaboration of Natalie Ménard, Les recettes préférées de ma famille (Les éditions de l’Homme, Montréal)

Catégorie livres d’intérêt particulier, langue française

• Bizier, Richard, and Roch Nadeau, Répertoire des fromages du Québec, édition augmentée (Les éditions du Trécarré-Groupe Librex inc., Montréal)
• Chartier, François, La sélection Chartier 2009, guide des vins et d’harmonisation avec les mets (Les éditions La Presse, Montréal)
• Guevremont, Guylaine, and Marie-Claude Lortie, Manger, Un jeu d’enfant (Les éditions La Presse, Montréal)
• Orhon, Jacques, Les vins du nouveau monde, tome 2 (Les éditions de l’Homme, Montréal)

Catégorie Culture Alimentaire Canadienne, langue française

• Desjardins, Anne L., Québec capitale gastronomique (Les éditions La Presse, Montréal)
• La fédération des producteurs de lait du Québec, Pleins de sandwiches d’ici, 52 recettes de sandwiches innovateurs avec des fromages d’ici (Les éditions de l’Homme, Montréal)

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Photo courtesy Daniel J. Vautour.