UC Press is proud to congratulate Jennifer E. Gaddis for her recent 2020 International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) Cook Award nomination. Her title, The Labor of Lunch: Why We Need Real Food and Real Jobs in American Public Schools, has been chosen as a finalist in the “Food Issues and Matters” category, and is exemplary in its “focus on the impact of food choices on personal health and the health of the planet.”

The IACP Awards are presented annually and include honors for several categories and subcategories, including recognition for food photography, cookbook writing, and culinary innovation among others.

Winners of the IACP Awards will be announced at a ceremony on March 28th during the 2020 conference in Pittsburgh, PA, and more information can be found on the IACP’s website.

Congratulations to Jennifer E. Gaddis and all of the finalists!


“A welcome addition to the growing library of works focusing on labor in the food system. This topic deserves attention and Gaddis is looking at the plight of an especially neglected group, the people who make and serve food to kids in schools. . . . Let grass-roots advocacy begin!” 
—Marion Nestle, Food Politics



“Argues that universally free, from-scratch lunches turns the school cafeteria into a vital community resource: one that helps kids develop healthy eating habits and provides skilled jobs for workers.”
—Mother Jones