East Bay Nosh picked up three awards, including two first place honors, at the 2024 San Francisco Press Club Awards gala on Dec. 4.
“‘It’s really scary’: The existential crisis of a Bay Area crabber,” a story on the impacts of climate change on the Dungeness crab season and those who depend on it for their livelihoods reported by Momo Chang and photographed by Amir Aziz won first place for environment reporting and second place for feature story (serious subject) in the non-daily newspapers category.
Anna Mindess also won first place in the non-daily newspaper profile category for her story on a chef who goes out her way to make sure everyone is well fed and has tastes of home at UC Berkeley’s International House — “How do you make 600 students from 80 countries feel at home? Ask Chef Abigail Serbins.“
East Bay Nosh is the home of all food coverage for the Cityside network of local, nonprofit newsrooms, including Berkeleyside, Oaklandside and Richmondside.
Published in March, Chang’s deep dive into the current state of the Bay Area Dungeness crab fishery, details how restrictions due to the threat of migrating whales getting tangled in crab pot lines and other climate change-related developments, such as the increase in toxic algae blooms, have effectively cut the Dungeness season in half.
The story’s ongoing relevance is underscored by the recent news that the Dungeness crab season has been delayed until after the new year.
“I had been writing about the San Francisco Bay Area fisheries and seafood industry for a while, and I noticed that the mostly small, independent operators that depend on Dungeness crab and other fisheries were really struggling,” Chang said of her initial interest in the story.
Chang conducted extensive research on the shifting seascape of the Dungeness crab fishery, speaking with several scientists and industry experts, and also spent time with one crabber in particular, 40-year industry vet John Mellor, to put a human face on the issue.
“John was open to sharing his experience of decades in the industry and what’s been happening in recent years,” Chang said. “I wanted the story to show respect to the long-time crabbers in the Bay Area and how crab is such a special part of our local cuisine, especially during the holidays. I also wanted it to pay respect to the environment and the very real concerns regarding whale entanglements.”
As the story detailed, while whale populations are increasing, the marine mammals are also coming closer to shore during their migrations and, as a result, the Dungeness crab season is unlikely to return to its previous length, when it frequently started prior to Thanksgiving.
Aziz, former The Oaklandside staff photographer, joined Chang while she shadowed Mellor and produced vibrant photos that captured the mood and energy of the fishermen unloading their haul at Pier 45 following more than 30 hours at sea.
Mindess first learned of Serbins and her approach to cooking for hundreds of students from all around the world from Joe Lurie, emeritus executive director of International House. Mindess and Lurie share a passionate interest in the connections between food and culture.
“He told me about Chef Abbie and gave me the link to some video interviews she did at I-House,” Mindess said. “I was immediately touched and fascinated by her commitment to caring for these students so far from home in the way that she best can, by cooking their favorite comforting meals.”
The story, published in May, details Serbins’ philosophy and how she has reached out to the students to get more input on I-House menus and serve dishes that provide the comforts of home for an incredibly diverse group.
“I was impressed that besides supervising the cooking of three meals a day for 600 students with a range of food preferences, she made the time to research and learn about dishes from a range of cultures,” Mindess said. “The biggest challenge was to track down and meet with a number of busy students from different countries and ask them what they liked and didn’t like about the food in the dining hall.”
Nosh Editor Tovin Lapan oversaw the development of both stories and, along with Chang and Aziz, was part of the winning entry for the Dungeness crab story.
“Nosh is honored to be recognized by the SF Press Club, and the two stories that took home awards reflect the breadth and depth of Nosh’s coverage of the East Bay food scene,” Lapan said. “Nosh is committed to covering food from every angle, including shining a spotlight on the people who labor behind the scenes to bring meals to our tables, as both stellar stories do.”
