AFJ 2011 Winners Announced

The AFJ -- which would be the Association of Food Journalists and not the Alliance for Justice or the Armed Forces Journal -- announced their 2011 winners over the weekend. The AFJ, which was formed in 1974 as the Newspaper Food Editors and Writers Association, Inc., has been handing out awards since 1986 that recognize writers of "outstanding stories." The annual contest is open to all journalists.

This year, the Weekly's Jonathan Gold won first place for Best Newspaper Restaurant Criticism; second place for his piece "Moveable Beast: L.A. Weeklyʼs 99 Essential Restaurants; " and third place "99 Things to Eat in L.A. Before You Die." Or, as Gold put it, he "hit for the cycle." Your Mr. October joke here ______.

For the full list of winners in all categories, turn the page.

Best Newspaper Food Coverage
135,000 & Under Circulation
First: Karen Haram, Food Editor, San Antonio Express-News
Second: Andrea Weigl, Food Writer, News & Observer
Third: Tommy Simmons, Food Editor, and Cheramie Sonnier, Assistant Food Editor; The Advocate

135,001-200,000 Circulation
First: Bob Batz Jr. & Staff, Food Editor, The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Second: Nancy J. Stohs, Food Editor, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Third: Jolene Ketzenberger, Food Writer, The Indianapolis Star

200,001 & Over Circulation
First: Joe Yonan, Food Editor, The Washington Post
Second: Miriam Morgan, Food Editor, and Jon Bonné, Wine Editor, & Staff, San Francisco Chronicle
Third: Carol Mighton Haddix, Food Editor, Chicago Tribune

Best Newspaper Food Feature
172,000 Circulation & Under
First: Brooke Foster, Editorial Contributor, Riverfront Times: "What Happens When You Take The Same Shopping List to Four Very Different Markets?"
Second: Jonathan Gold, Staff Writer, LA Weekly: "Moveable Beast: L.A. Weeklyʼs 99 Essential Restaurants"
Third: Jonathan Gold, Staff Writer, LA Weekly: "99 Things to Eat in L.A. Before You Die"

172,001 & Over Circulation
First: Sophie Brickman, Staff Writer, San Francisco Chronicle; "The Life at The Laundry"
Second: Jane Black, Reporter, The Washington Post; "Homegrown"
Third: Jon Bonné, Wine Editor, San Francisco Chronicle; "A Grape Is Revived -- Quietly"

Best Newspaper Food News Story
First: Kristen Hinman, Staff Writer, Riverfront Times; "The Humane Society and Big Agriculture Slug It Out Over Animal Rights"
Second: Maureen OʼHagan, Staff Reporter, The Seattle Times, "Is Raw Milk Safe?"
Third: Jennifer Justus, Reporter, The Tennessean, "Homeless But Not Hungry"

Best Newspaper Food Column
First: Jennifer Bain, Food Editor, Toronto Star
Second: Anne Brockhoff, Freelance Journalist, The Kansas City Star
Third: Sophie Brickman, Staff Writer, San Francisco Chronicle

Best Newspaper Restaurant Criticism
First: Jonathan Gold, Staff Writer, LA Weekly
Second: Edmund Tijerina, Food Writer, San Antonio Express-News
Third: Ian Froeb, Staff Writer, Riverfront Times

Best Newspaper Special Food Project
First: Jill Silva, Food Editor/Critic, The Kansas City Star; "Far Away From Food"
Second: Kim Ode, Staff Writer, Star Tribune, Minneapolis; "A Bakerʼs Dozen"
Third: Jill Silva, Food Editor/Critic, & Cindy Hoedel, Magazine Writer; The Kansas City Star, "35 People, Places and Things That Make Us Drool"

Best Food Feature In A Magazine
First: Maureen OʼHagan, The Seattle Times, "School Lunch"
Second: Brett Anderson, The Oxford American, "The Great White Hope"
Third: Liz Johnson, Freelance Writer, writing in Arrive, Dinner Conversations"

Best Internet Food News Or Feature Story
First: Ronni Lundy, Editor in Chief, TheZenchilada.com; "Tamales"
Second: Michele Kayal, Freelance Journalist, Associated Press; "Dorie Greenspan: French Food and Flaming Kitchens"
Third: Andrew Schneider, Senior Public Health Correspondent, aolnews.com; "Regulated or Not, Nano-Foods Coming to a Store Near You"

Best Food Visual
First: Rob Goebel, Photographer, Indianapolis Star, "Autumn Apples"
Second: William Hogan, Studio Photographer, Chicago Tribune, "Strawberry Ice"
Third: Daniel Marsula, Art Director, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, "Pressure Cooker"

Best Food Blog
First: seattletimes.com/allyoucaneat, Nancy Leson, Food & Restaurant Columnist, The Seattle Times
Second: blogs.dallasobserver.com/cityofate, Staff, Dallas Observer
Third: voices.washingtonpost.com/all-we-can-eat/, Food Staff, The Washington Post

Best Food Essay
First: Besha Rodell, Food & Drink Editor, Creative Loafing, "Around the Clock at Waffle House"
Second: Robert Sietsema, Staff Writer, The Village Voice, "An Open Letter to Josh Ozersky"
Third: Jessica Thomson, Writer, Leiteʼs Culinaria (www.leitesculinaria.com); on gluten intolerance

Best Food Multimedia Presentation
First: Katharine Shilcutt, Staff Writer, Houston Press
Second: Gretchen McKay, Food Writer, & Steve Mellon, Videographer; Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and post-gazette.com
Third: Tom Sietsema, Restaurant Critic, The Washington Post