Commercial presentation Issued by: 01/06/2023, 10:35 a.m

Prague, June 1, 2023 (PROTEXT) – Czech book Rhythm of the Year with Hanka Zemanová, Lentní kučářka by chef Pavel Drdel and Christmas Traditions by parish priests Martina Viktoria Kopecká and Martina Boledovičová were nominated for the Gourmand Cookbook Awards.

This year’s announcement and final ceremony of the international Gourmand Cookbook Awards took place on Saturday 27/05/2023 in the Swedish city of Umea as part of a multi-day gathering of nominated authors, photographers and publishers of publications.

The narrative publication Rhythm of the Year with Hanka Zemanová won two prizes – 1st place in the Eastern European category and 2nd place in the Health and Nutrition category. The Lenten cookbook subtitled from root to tip by Pavel Drdel took 2nd place in the Chefs category, and Martina Viktoria Kopecká and Martina Boledovičová’s Christmas Traditions took 4th place in the Hospitality category.

Martina Boledovičová, founder of the Smart Press publishing house, which published the books, received awards and diplomas for the authors mentioned above.

“The theme for the 28th year is sustainability in gastronomy, but also in other areas of life. It was heard several times during the symposium that by what we eat, what ingredients we choose, what we cook and for whom, we influence not only our health, but the health of the entire planet. It’s very interesting to see the topic of frugal cooking, cooking without food waste, but also going back to the roots and the importance of food as an opportunity to connect people, emerging all over the world, be it our republic, Turkey, Singapore or Mexico.” says Martina Boledovičová, publisher.

Hanka Zemanová, author and author of Rhythm of the Year, said of the award: “This is a tribute not only to me and the entire Smart Press publishing team, but also to nature and for the gifts it offers us each month and with it heals us. This year’s rhythm not only offers home pharmacy advice, seasonal food recipes, and herbal concoctions. The rhythm of the year is a book that will change your perception of nature, food and health forever. You will fall in love with all the months of the year and your everyday life will become easier, greener and healthier within all things.

Pavel Drdel, head chef of Sůl a Řepa restaurant and author of Postní kučářky comments: “It is a great honor for me to be part of the Smart Press publishing house, but also of this unique competition. A huge thank you to all the people without whom this book would not exist.”

Martina Parish Priest Viktorie Kopecká, co-author of the book Christmas Tradition added: “I am pleased to be placed in a global competition, because it shows that we are not the only writers who understand the importance of connecting tradition and food. Christmas traditions showed me another dimension to my job and how important it is to experience Christmas at the family table.”

Award winning book:

Rhythm of the year with Hanka Zemanová: 1st place, Eastern Europe category and 2nd place, Health & Nutrition category

Lenten cookbook from root to tip, Pavel Drdel: 2nd Place, Celebrity Chef category

Christmas Traditionalists – from Dušiček to Hromnice, Martina Viktorie Kopecká and Martina Boledovičová: 4th place, category Hospitality (Entertaining)

About competition

The prestigious Gourmand Cookbook Awards were founded in 1995. It is an international competition of cookbooks and food and drink-related books from around the world. Tens of thousands of titles from the world’s largest publishers to self-published books enter the competition every year. The books are divided into categories and the judges select a short list of nominated books to advance to the global finals. Publications are judged in each category according to different criteria, but the finalist books have one thing in common – they benefit an international audience. Originality, design quality and photos are also assessed. But as the founder of the competition Edouard Cointreau said, it is very difficult to choose the best of the best and also to compare books from different parts of the world, which is why new categories are constantly being added.

The main topic this year is sustainability, other topics are culinary traditions of indigenous peoples and also gastronomy in diplomacy. The announcement took place in the northern Swedish capital, Umea, where more than 200 representatives from around the world attended. Most come from Spanish-speaking countries including South America and Southeast Asia. A number of delegations also came from the Republic of South Africa and Poland. But there are also the Faroe Islands, Iceland and, for example, the small island of Rota. Award-winning projects also include books that overlap in charity, such as a Venezuelan cookbook with recipes from war zones, or a book on cooking for children in Ethiopia.

In previous years, the following Smart Press publications received the Gourmand Cookbook Awards:

2019: Julie Kučerovská: Cookbook for teenagers – 1st place (Family category)

2018: Dominika W. Gašparová: Swedish cook – 1st place (Scandinavian cuisine category)

2015: Denisa Bartošová – Láskominy Denisa Bartošová – 1st place (Entertainment category)

2014: Denisa Bartošová – Love goes through the kitchen – 1st Place (Design category)

2013: Martin Škoda – Škoda nevařit – 3rd place (best first product category)

Smart Press Publishing House: http://www.smartpress.cz

Gourmand Cookbook Awards: http://www.cookbookfair.com

ČTK published an image attachment to the report, which is available at http://www.protext.cz.