NJ Soul Food Restaurant Wins 2022 James Beard Award

CAMDEN, NJ — The James Beard Awards are often regarded as the Oscars of the culinary industry, and a New Jersey restaurant earned some hardware this year.

Corinne's Place — a longtime soul food staple in Camden — earned a 2022 America's Classics Award from the James Beard Foundation. The America's Classics Awards " is given to locally owned restaurants that have timeless appeal and are beloved regionally for quality food that reflects the character of its community."

Corinne Bradley-Powers opened Corinne's Place in 1989, keeping Haddon Avenue festive with a birthday-pink dining room and a devoted, post-church Sunday rush, according to the James Beard Foundation. Menu staples include the classic fried chicken, Cajun-spiced turkey wings, picnic-perfect black-eyed peas, tender pig’s feet in zesty sauce, smothered pork chops and sweet potato pie.

During the pandemic, Bradley-Powers transformed the vacant lot beside her storefront into a tented gathering space for outdoor dining.

"I was born and raised here. I was educated right here in Camden, New Jersey," Bradley-Powers told 6abc Action News. "And I just love to cook for people. And I did that even before I opened up Corinne's Place."

The James Beard Foundation announced in February that Corinne's Place earned an America's Classics Award. But with the James Beard Foundation presenting awards Monday at the Lyric Opera of Chicago, the Camden restaurant remained New Jersey's sole honoree this year.

The culinary industry remains in a recovery phase after losing business during the pandemic and "still needs support," James Beard Foundation CEO Clare Reichenbach said at the ceremony, according to a news release.

The awards honor not only individual winners but also "our entire industry — and the incredible resilience, fortitude, talent, and leadership so many have shown over the past two years," Reichenbach said.

The awards had been on a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic. During that time, the awards program "underwent a full audit of its policies and procedures, continuing the work to remove bias, increase transparency and accessibility, and make the program more aligned with the Foundation’s mission and values."