Madhur Jaffrey Becomes First South Asian To Win James Beard Lifetime Achievement Award, Know About Her

Madhur Jaffrey, an Indian-born British-American, honoured with the James Beard Foundation's 2023 Lifetime Achievement Award, making her the first South Asian to receive the prestigious award.

India-born British-American Madhur Jaffrey was honored with the James Beard Foundation’s 2023 Lifetime Achievement Award (File Photo)

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Madhur Jaffrey, an India-born British-American, was honoured with the James Beard Foundation's 2023 Lifetime Achievement Award, becoming the first South Asian to receive the prestigious award since its inception in 1990.

The foundation's Lifetime Achievement Award is given to an individual whose lifetime body of work has had a positive and long-lasting impact on the way we eat, cook, and/or think about food in America, according to its official website. 

"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," according to the foundation's press release. An Invitation to Indian Cooking, her first cookbook, was published in 1973 and was inducted into the James Beard Foundation's Cookbook Hall of Fame in 2006. She has since published over 30 award-winning cookbooks, cementing her reputation as the "Godmother of Indian Cooking."

Early Career Of Madhur Jaffrey: 

Jaffrey started out as an actress. When she was an acting student in London in the 1950s, she taught herself to cook using her mother's recipes. She began taking cooking classes after her divorce in 1966 in order to provide for her family. As her work became more well-known, she began writing cookbooks that went on to become international best-sellers.

Jaffrey is also known for hosting cooking shows, such as Madhur Jaffrey's Indian Cookery, which debuted on the BBC in 1982. "The BBC series was so popular that Jaffrey was told that the city of Manchester, England, ran out of cilantro after she used it in a recipe with chicken," the New York Times reported.

Bestsellers Of Madhur Jaffrey: 

Madhur Jaffrey's Ultimate Curry Bible, Curry Easy, and Madhur Jaffrey's World Vegetarian are among her bestselling books. She has also worked as a food consultant at the now-defunct Dawat, which was regarded as one of New York City's best Indian restaurants. Jaffrey said of her award, "It's a wonderful pinnacle to my career, and I'm overjoyed."

Jaffrey, along with the other winners, will be honoured at the Restaurant and Chef Awards ceremony on June 5 at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.