Tucson Author Nominated for National Food Writing Award

Local author Melani Martinez is getting some well-deserved national recognition — and it all started with memories of her family’s molino.

Her debut book, “The Molino: A Memoir,” was just named a finalist for the Nach Waxman Prize, a national award celebrating outstanding food writing.

Through personal stories and cultural reflection in the book, Martinez captures the resilience of Tucson’s Mexican American food traditions.

“An undeniably effective memoir, The Molino is a revealing history of a family and its eatery in downtown Tucson, where for generations a mill ground the corn for tortillas and tamales that were integral to lives in one of the city’s historic neighborhoods.”

In the memoir, Martinez, who also teaches writing at the University of Arizona, touches on the “tensions within her extensive family, within the local community, and within the broader culture in a series of vignettes which are sometimes poignant, sometimes funny.”

The Nach Waxman Prize

The annual award is presented by Kitchen Arts & Letters, a renowned culinary bookstore in New York City, in collaboration with the Waxman family. The bookstore was established in memory of Nach Waxman (1936–2021), who was an advocate for food literature.

Therefore, the prize honors exceptional works in food and beverage scholarship.​

Awarded each spring, the $5,500 prize recognizes a U.S.-published book from the previous year that:

• It is well-written and accurate
• It is accessible to a motivated general audience
• Has the potential to attract new readers to the field of food scholarship or significantly influence future research

The selection process involves a panel of three judges with diverse backgrounds in food studies. Only five books make it to this round!

The 2024 prize winner will be revealed on Tuesday, May 6, accompanied by an online discussion featuring the winning author and the judges.​

You can pick up a copy of “The Molino: A Memoir” here.

For more information, visit kitchenartsandletters.com.