Los Angeles Times Media Group Earns Three James Beard Media Awards
Among the honors, L.A. Times staff writer Stephanie Breijo received the Jonathan Gold Local Voice Award; The Times and Capital & Main won for investigative reporting; and LA Times Studios was recognized for commercial media.
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The Los Angeles Times Media Group (LATMG) took home three honors at the annual James Beard Foundation Media Awards ceremony, held in Chicago on June 13. Recognizing excellence in 2025 food and beverage content, the awards celebrate the nation’s top food authors, journalists, broadcast producers and digital creators. LATMG’s winning work spanned local feature storytelling, investigative reporting and commercial media.
The James Beard Journalism Awards honor writers who deepen the public’s understanding of food’s role in culture, politics and everyday life. The L.A. Times secured two major wins in this category. L.A. Times staff writer Stephanie Breijo received the Jonathan Gold Local Voice Award, which recognizes the work of an individual who engages readers through enterprising food and dining coverage in a specific region. Breijo’s winning submission highlighted Los Angeles culture, including a story on street vendors using aguas frescas to fight tear gas at anti-ICE protests, a deep dive into Burbank’s best Italian deli and a feature on Betsy, a restaurant reborn after the Eaton fire.
The Times, in collaboration with Capital & Main, won investigative reporting for excellence in reporting on environmental, political, business or policy issues in the food industry. The winning two-part series, by independent journalist Robert J. Lopez with photography by Barbara Davidson and graphics from Times senior data and graphics journalist Lorena Iñiguez Elebee, exposed child labor abuses on California farms and the lack of regulatory oversight.
The James Beard Broadcast Media awards honor compelling and innovative storytelling across television, podcasts and digital media. The commercial media award, which recognizes excellence in commercially funded, sponsored or brand-promoted food and beverage media, was presented to distribution partners LA Times Studios, Documentary+ and YouTube for “The Theory of Spice.” The winning project is a brand-funded short film series produced by the Yogi Foundation that celebrates the origins, cultures and communities behind the world’s most cherished spices.
To view the full list of winners and learn more about the James Beard Foundation Media Awards, visit jamesbeard.org.
