Regina Troy Barrios

Filipino-American Writer Yasmin Tayag Wins a James Beard Award for Questioning Food Trends

Article (news)

Yasmin Tayag walked into the Art Institute of Chicago on June 14 and walked out with one of food media&#x27;s highest honors.The Filipino-American staff writer at The Atlantic won the<a href="https://www.jamesbeard.org/stories/james-beard-media-award-winners-2026" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> 2026 James Beard Media Award in Health and Wellness</a>, a category that recognized her reporting on the culture, politics, and myths surrounding the way we eat. Widely regarded as the &quot;Oscars of the food world,&quot; the James Beard Awards are judged by more than 600 anonymous food experts and previous award recipients.<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/17817658817284.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/>Yasmin Tayag at the James Beard Awards | Photo: Yasmin Tayag on Instagram</div>The award recognized her reporting on health and wellness topics. Her winning stories included pieces on grocery-store health movements, processed foods, fitness culture, and the science behind everyday ingredients. Across them all runs the same voice: sharp, skeptical, deeply reported, and refreshingly free of hype.Tayag is also co-host of the podcast How to Age Up and the niece of Pampanga artist, restaurateur, and chef Claude Tayag. While food runs in the family, she has carved out a distinctly modern beat, examining the intersection of food, culture, wellness, and identity.<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/17817659268162.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/>Tayag with her James Beard medal | Photo: Yasmin Tayag on Instagram</div>That perspective was especially evident in a December <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/2026/01/jollibee-fried-chicken-american-fast-food/684949/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">2025 essay on Jollibee</a>, which she described as &quot;one of the most personally meaningful stories&quot; she had written.Writing about the piece, Tayag reflected on why it mattered to her: &quot;As a Filipino, it&#x27;s so important to me to get to talk about the impact of American colonization in the Philippines. As a cook, I&#x27;m obsessed with understanding how foodways came to be. And as an avid eater, I love waxing poetic about fried chicken.&quot;The quote neatly captures what makes her work stand out. Whether she is unpacking wellness culture, tracing the history of a fast-food icon, or examining how food trends shape everyday life, Tayag approaches food as something larger than what&#x27;s on the plate.She celebrated the James Beard win with characteristic humor. &quot;I won a James Beard award! I met the most wonderful people! I ate so many oysters! I am so grateful for everyone who got me here!! Knicks in 5!&quot; she wrote on Instagram.

Filipino-American journalist Yasmin Tayag, a staff writer at The Atlantic and niece of chef Claude Tayag, has won a 2026 James Beard Media Award for her sharp reporting on wellness culture, food trends, and the stories behind how we eat.

Filipino-American journalist Yasmin Tayag, a staff writer at The Atlantic and niece of chef Claude Tayag, has won a 2026 James Beard Media Award for her sharp reporting on wellness culture, food trends, and the stories behind how we eat.

Filipino-American Writer Yasmin Tayag Wins A James Beard Award For Questioning Food Trends

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Filipino-American Writer Yasmin Tayag Wins A James Beard Award For Questioning Food Trends

Regina Troy Barrios

Published June 18, 2026 03:00 PM PHT

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Yasmin Tayag

james beard awards

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the atlantic

filipino-american journalists

filipino food culture

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