S1:E30 Dawn Davis I Arbiter of Taste

In 2020, Dawn Davis, took the reins as editor-in-chief of Bon Appétit along with Condé Nast's other food brands including Epicurious, Healthyish, and Basically, across digital, video, OTT, social and print platforms. In doing so, she made history as the first woman of color to hold this position. Acknowledged as "a book world star" by the New York Times in their coverage of the appointment, Dawn's editorial vision is directing a new chapter at the 65-year-old publication.

Each year in October, Bon Appétit celebrates the "Hot Ten", a list of America's Best New Restaurants in its Restaurant Issue. This year, under Dawn's guidance, the Restaurant Issue was redefined and is reflective of the times. The issue honors "the restaurants, people and organizations that gave us hope with a brand-new awards list, Heads of the Table." The issue celebrates the resilience, variety of food, and the people who make them run, the ones that sprang up or pivoted during the pandemic to help their communities and others in the industry who needed it most, from giving opportunities to the formerly incarcerated to feeding neighbors.

Dawn spent decades as an accomplished publisher and author, with a passion for food and culture. Her prolific publishing career at 37 Ink, a Simon & Schuster imprint, included bestselling and award-winning titles: Heads of the Colored People by Nafissa Thomas-Spires, winner of the 2019 Whiting Award; the National Book Award finalist, Never Caught: The Washingtons' Relentless Pursuit of Their Runaway Slave; Ona Judge by Erica Armstrong Dunbar; and several New York Times bestsellers , including Tough Love: My Story of the Things Worth Fighting For by Susan Rice; The Butler: A Witness to History by Wil Haygood, later becoming a major motion picture directed by Lee Daniels; The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl by Issa Rae that helped pave the way for her tv show, Insecure; and I Can't Make This Up by Kevin Hart. Her time at HarperCollins, overseeing the Amistad imprint, resulted in publishing numerous well-known, highly acclaimed authors, including Edward P. Jones, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, The Known World; Attica Locke, author of Black Water Rising; and Chris Gardner, author of The Pursuit of Happyness, that also became a major motion picture starring Will Smith.

Her passion for food culture is exhibited in the first cookbook she acquired, Recipe of Memory: Five Generations of Mexican Cuisine by Mary Lau Valle and Victor M. Valle, and was nominated for two Julia Child Cookbook Awards and a James Beard Award. As an author, Dawn wrote If You Can Stand the Heat: Tales from Chefs and Restaurateurs profiling some of the most dynamic chefs of the times including Edna Lewis, Bobby Flay, Anthony Bourdain, Michael McCarthy, Patricia Williams and Linda Rodriguez.

Listen in as Dawn and host, Brad Johnson, discuss some of the featured people, stories and recipes in the October issue of Bon Appétit: The Restaurant Issue, along with a variety of other topics including: Dawn's journey that led to publishing, some of her favorite Martha's Vineyard places to visit; reflections from time spent in Nigeria; the significance of a high-profile restaurant going meatless; expanding the dialogue around African American cuisine's contribution to American cuisine; her cookbook collection; and stories about the interesting chefs she included in the book she authored. Join us!

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