Kimberly Behr

Winter 2015

An Object to Represent The Art of Eating Prize
Creating an Icon from Scratch

 

By Edward Behr

After we announced the existence of The Art of Eating Prize, we realized there should some physical object to accompany it — but what? Maybe not a medal on a ribbon or an Oscar-like statuette. Because the prize is for writing, a product of craft (like the best food), we thought we should give an individually crafted object. And we settled on a generous spoon for each author on the shortlist and an elegant ladle for the winner. The material would be iron, an elemental choice.

The craftsman who made these tools to honor the prize is Lucian Avery, a blacksmith who lives in Hardwick, Vermont. His workshop is a large but simple shed, heated in winter by the fire of the forge. Looking at the tools he made for the prize, you can see that each hammer blow counts, none is wasted. And although he works by hand, the spoons are all remarkably alike. The surfaces are a little rough — honest and real, like the words of a good writer. ●