New Jersey restaurant wins prestigious James Beard Award

Among the awards the famed James Beard Foundation gives out annually is the “Classics” award for restaurants; the award is for locally owned restaurants that have timeless appeal and are beloved regionally for quality food that reflects the character of its community. Only six are awarded each year.

This year, one of New Jersey’s own restaurants received the prestigious designation: Corinne’s Place in Camden.

Opened in 1989, Corinne’s Place bills itself as “a cozy dining room and vintage appeal along with a menu of classic soul food cooking. Generous plates of soul food are the draw at this family-owned mainstay with a down-home ambiance.”

In announcing the award, the foundation said that the restaurant has remained popular for over 30 years because of its menu

The Cajun-spiced turkey wings, the picnic-perfect black-eyed peas, the tender pig’s feet in zesty sauce, the smothered pork chops, or the sweet potato pie. But there’s no doubt her classic fried chicken—its simply seasoned crust fried to a golden, heat-bubbled cracker shell concealing juicy meat—is also a prime reason this restaurant has remained an enduring touchstone for home-style soul food.

Corinne Bradley-Powers opened the restaurant in 1989, but according to the Daily Journal, she now has assumed a consultant’s role in the operation. She told them the restaurant has not relied just on the local populace, “it was favor by God that I’ve been in business that long and had favor of people coming from all over, in spite of what they heard about Camden, people would come in.”

The eatery will receive its award at the James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards ceremony on Monday, June 13, at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.

Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Bill Doyle only.

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