Kitchen Butterfly’s ‘Chop Chop’ Makes History with James Beard Award Win
Ozoz Sokoh, known as Kitchen Butterfly, has won the 2026 James Beard Foundation Award for Emerging Voice in Books. Her debut cookbook, Chop Chop: Cooking the Food of Nigeria, is the first Nigerian title to receive this honour. She accepted the award at the James Beard Media Awards ceremony in Chicago. The James Beard Awards are often called the Oscars of the food world. The Emerging Voice in Books Award recognises a first-time author with a fresh perspective and lasting impact. Chop Chop features 100 classic recipes from all six regions of Nigeria. It offers cultural and historical insights into dishes like egusi soup, jollof rice, suya and puff puff. Published by Artisan Books, Chop Chop was already named a New York Times Best Cookbook of 2025. It also won the gold Nautilus Book Award in food and healthy eating. Sokoh began sharing her research on her blog Kitchen Butterfly in 2009. Since then, her work has appeared in Smithsonian Magazine, CNN African Voices and Anthony Bourdain’s Parts Unknown.
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