A cookbook on Southern cooking by Nathalie Dupree of Charleston and Cynthia Graubart of Atlanta has won a 2013 James Beard Foundation award.
"Mastering the Art of Southern Cooking" was named the winner of the American Cooking cookbook of the year.
This is Dupree's third James Beard Award. She won the Americana award in 1994 for "Nathalie Dupree's Southern Memories" and the Entertaining award in 1999 for "Nathalie Dupree's Comfortable Entertaining."
A Charleston chef and restaurant also were in the running for top national honors in the 2013 Beard Awards.
Chef Sean Brock of Husk and McCrady's was one of five finalists for the nation's Outstanding Chef. David Chang of Momofuku Noodle Bar in New York City and Paul Kahan of Blackbird in Chicago tied for that award.
This was the second year that Brock was picked as a semifinalist for Outstanding Chef. He was named Best Chef in the Southeast in 2010, and Husk was a semifinalist for best new restaurant in the 2011 competition.
The Ordinary, the new restaurant of Chef Mike Lata and business partner Adam Nemirow, was one of five finalists for Best New Restaurant. That award went to State Bird Provisions of San Francisco.
The Ordinary opened to lots of media attention in December. Lata and Nemirow also own FIG in Charleston.
Dupree attended the Cordon Bleu cooking school in London and has been chef in restaurants in Spain, Georgia and Virginia. She directed the Rich's Cooking School in Atlanta and has been the host of more than 300 cooking shows.
Dupree and Graubart also teamed up for an earlier cookbook, "Southern Biscuits."
Three Charleston chefs were semifinalists for Best Chef Southeast this year but weren't among the five finalists. They are Chef Jeremiah Bacon of The Macintosh, Chef Craig Deihl of Cypress and Chef Joshua Keeler of Two Boroughs Larder.