The Daily Meal's Colman Andrews Becomes Ninth North American To Receive Catalonia's Prestigious Creu De Sant Jordi

Colman Andrews, editorial director of The Daily Meal, has been awarded the prestigious Creu de Sant Jordi, or Cross of Saint George, by the government of Catalonia, in acknowledgement of his efforts to promote Catalan cuisine. Andrews is one of only nine North Americans to receive the honor since it was instituted in 1981.

"All the wonderful people I've met in the Catalan food world over the years and all the unforgettable experiences I've had in that wonderful corner of the Mediterranean have been fully rewarding in themselves," said Andrews. "I am greatly honored to receive the Creu de Sant Jordi, and will continue to support Catalonia and its culinary traditions in any way possible."

The Creu de Sant Jordi, designed by celebrated goldsmith Joaquim Capdevila, is the highest civil distinction awarded by the Generalitat, or autonomous government, of Catalonia. In addition to Andrews, other North American recipients include soprano Barbara Hendricks and the late poet and translator David H. Rosenthal.

Andrews first visited Catalonia, in the northeastern corner of Spain, in the early 1980s and, falling in love with its unique take on Mediterranean cooking, returned often to meet chefs and home cooks, visit farms and wineries, and immerse himself in the region's rich culinary traditions. The result was his first cookbook, Catalan Cuisine.

Originally published in 1988, Catalan Cuisine was subsequently translated into Spanish as well as Catalan, and is still in print today in America and the UK. This was the first commercially published book about Catalan cooking in the English language, and it introduced English-speaking chefs and diners on both sides of the Atlantic to this remarkable cuisine. In Spanish or Catalan, it also became a standard reference work for chefs in Catalonia itself. Ferran Adri�, the world-famous chef of El Bulli, once called it "my bedside reading."

Andrews is currently focusing his attention on a campaign to have Catalan cuisine named part of the Immaterial Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO. He has also continued to travel in and write about Catalonia, as well as other parts of Spain. In 2010, Andrews published a biography of Adri�, Ferran: The Inside Story of El Bulli and the Man Who Reinvented Food. More recently, he authored The Country Cooking of Italy, which was nominated for a James Beard Award this year in the Best International Cookbook category.

In addition to writing books, Andrews helped launch The Daily Meal in 2010, and has since led the editorial team that has contributed to the site's phenomenal success.

"We're proud to have Colman leading our editorial team not only because he has extensive editorial experience and deep knowledge of the food and drink worlds," said Jim Spanfeller, President and CEO of Spanfeller Media Group, parent company of The Daily Meal, "but also because of the tremendous respect he commands from his peers, both locally and internationally. This great honor from the Catalan government only reinforces his reputation as one of the most important figures in this field."

Andrews will accept the Creu de Sant Jordi at a ceremony at the Generalitat Palace in Barcelona on April 20.

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