Padma Bhushan winner, food writer, television chef, actor and cookbook author Madhur Jaffrey is the first Indian and South Asian to win a Lifetime Achievement Award from the prestigious James Beard Foundation.
An announcement by the foundation reads, “Jaffrey first captured attention as an actress in the film Shakespeare Wallah, winning the Silver Bear for Best Actress at the Berlin Film Festival in 1965. Her first cookbook, An Invitation to Indian Cooking, was published in 1973 and was inducted into the James Beard Foundation’s Cookbook Hall of Fame in 2006. She has since released more than 30 award-winning cookbooks, cementing her status as the “Godmother of Indian Cooking.”, says the announcement.
An Invitation to Indian Cooking was reissued just earlier this year on its 50th anniversary by publisher Alfred A. Knopf. Jaffrey will collect the latest award in June at the James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards Ceremony.
Originally an actor, she pivoted to food post-divorce. Today, Jaffrey’s impact on how the Western world views Indian cuisine is undeniable. She is widely credited with bringing mass attention to Indian cuisine in the US and the UK. She has authored 30 cookbooks and hosted several television programs, most notably Madhur Jaffrey's Indian Cookery, which premiered in the UK in 1982.
Set to be 90 soon, she continues to be an inspiration for young chefs and writers across the world.