I love publishing stories like this one. It really underscores, as an AI might say, the global aspect of our wonderful industry.

A four-year-old backlist title has achieved the unprecedented “Best of All” accolade at the 31st Gourmand Cookbook Awards, cementing its place in cuisine publishing history.

Khir Johari’s “The Food of Singapore Malays: Gastronomic Travels Through The Archipelago“, first published in 2021, was singled out by awards president Edouard Cointreau as the single most distinguished work across the competition’s 30-year history.

The ceremony, held on 27 November in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, drew publishing professionals from 180 countries.

International stage meets cultural preservation

The Riyadh venue marks a strategic expansion into the Middle East publishing market, aligning with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 initiatives for culinary arts promotion.

This year’s awards coincided with the Saudi Feast Food Festival, offering publishers unprecedented access to the region’s emerging gastronomic sector. The Gourmand Awards, often dubbed the “Oscars of culinary publishing,” received entries from 215 countries and territories, underlining the growing global appetite for food culture titles.

Backlist Success Significance

For publishing professionals, Johari’s triumph demonstrates significant backlist potential. The 424-page volume, featuring over 400 photographs and 32 foundational recipes, has now collected five major awards since publication.

Marshall Cavendish’s investment in high-production values and scholarly depth has yielded returns across multiple cycles, culminating in this historic recognition four years post-publication. The title previously won “Best of the Best Book in the World” (2023) and the Singapore Book Publishers Association’s Book of the Year (2022).

A model for food culture publishing

Cointreau praised the work as “a source of pride across the entire Nusantara world,” highlighting how academic rigour combined with visual storytelling can create cultural movements. Johari’s success illustrates the commercial viability of deeply researched regional cuisines targeting international markets.

For rights managers, the title’s trajectory – from local history prize to global award-winner – signals strong foreign-language potential and gastro-diplomacy appeal.

The award validates three strategic pillars:

Firstly, cultural preservation content has measurable commercial longevity.

Secondly, premium illustrated food books maintain market relevance despite digital competition.

Thirdly, the Middle East represents a growing venue for international publishing recognition. As Johari noted, the honour reflects how “foodways of our region are being seen, heard, and taken seriously” on the global stage.

This post first appeared in the TNPS LinkedIn newsfeed.