Furman professor gets James Beard nomination for food desert book

Kolb’s book was released in 2021.

Ken Kolb, chair and professor of sociology at Furman University, has been nominated for a James Beard Foundation Media Award for his book, “Retail Inequality: Reframing the Food Desert Debate.” The food issues and advocacy category for which the book was recognized is the first for the foundation and highlights books that include “investigative journalism, food policy, deep dives, and critical analysis of the changing social landscape,” according to the JBF website. Kolb’s work is one of three books to receive the nomination in the category.

Using two historically Black Greenville neighborhoods as a backdrop, Kolb’s book explores the idea of food deserts and how they became a proxy debate for a deeper, decades-old discussion about systemic racism and how it impacts retail choice and access. Lillia Callum-Penso for The Post and Courier (Greenville) covered the story as did A.J. Jackson for The Greenville News.