Some crossed the ocean, all were handed down the generations. Now, time-honored family recipes from around Northeast and Northcentral Pennsylvania are being recognized on a national stage.
WVIA News has won a first-place Public Media Journalists Association (PMJA) award for its Recipes of the Region series, which launched last year.
The series was conceived by WVIA News Managing Editor Faith Golay. The stories and photos were produced by members of the news team.
"Don’t be fooled by the name, Recipes of the Region," Golay said. "The series not only leaves readers with ideas for their next meals, but it highlights people from diverse cultures, backgrounds and ages in the Northeast and Northcentral Pennsylvania."
Recipes of the Region, which began last July, has taken audiences on a tour of the cultures and homelands that make this corner of Pennsylvania a culturally vibrant place to live.
So far, the stories have included Dominican, Greek, Indian, Italian, Jewish, Lebanese, Lithuanian, Pennsylvania Dutch, Polish, Russian and Slovak recipes.
"The recipes serve as the backdrop as we dig into generations of family recipes, traditions and memories," Golay said. "This award exemplifies the news team's mission and efforts to 'meet people where they are' by telling stories that inform and engage."
The richly illustrated stories show families preparing their treasured recipes, sharing their often emotional accounts of how those recipes were passed along over the years. The stories also include an audio presentation, and — naturally — a transcription of the recipe for readers to try at home.
PMJA presented the award last week in conjunction with the organization’s annual conference in Kansas City, Mo.
"This nationwide award is a great honor for our journalists because it recognizes the whole team for its contribution to the series," WVIA President & CEO Carla McCabe said.
"It continues to be a reminder of WVIA's ongoing commitment to local news across our coverage area, a commitment to our community."
The PMJA honor is the latest award recognizing the work of WVIA this year.
WVIA learned last week that the team has won four Keystone Professional Media Awards for its journalism during 2024. In April the team went to Harrisburg to collect multiple Pennsylvania Association of Broadcasters (PAB) awards across several categories for its digital, documentary, news and public service content.
