A South Jersey restaurant has won a James Beard America’s Classic award, the first restaurant in New Jersey to win such an honor in more than a decade.
The winner is Corinne’s Place, a Camden staple since Corinne Bradley-Powers opened the restaurant in 1989.
The soul food restaurant has been serving fried chicken, turkey wings, pork chops, fried fish, ribs and other southern fare in Camden for over 30 years.
It was one of six restaurants named America’s Classic 2022 by the James Beard Foundation on Wednesday. Corinne’s is the first restaurant in New Jersey to receive this honor since Chef Vola’s in Atlantic City in 2011.
The award is given “to local restaurants that have a timeless appeal and are valued in the region for quality cuisine that reflects the character of its community,” according to the James Beard Foundation, the nonprofit that has become the one of the leading authorities on American cuisine. since its launch more than 30 years ago.
Here’s what the James Beard Foundation had to say about Corinne’s Place:
Corinne Bradley-Powers has kept Haddon Avenue festive since 1989 with an anniversary pink dining room and a Sunday after-church rush. It could be Cajun-spiced turkey wings, black-eyed peas perfect for a picnic, tender pig’s trotters in a tangy sauce, smothered pork chops, or sweet potato pie. But there’s no doubt that its classic fried chicken – its simply seasoned crust fried on a boiling, golden cracker shell concealing juicy meat – is also one of the main reasons this restaurant has remained an enduring touchstone for the home-style soul kitchen. Over the past three decades, it has become a community fixture in the heart of one of America’s lowest-income cities. Bradley-Powers’ longevity as a business owner remains a beacon of hope that continues to inspire. During the pandemic, she transformed a vacant lot next to her storefront into a tent gathering space for quiet outdoor dining. Known as ‘The Oasis’, with a flowing fountain and warm hospitality to accompany Corinne’s irresistible soul food platters, it lives up to its name.
Corrine’s Place is the fifth restaurant in New Jersey to win this award, launched in 1998. Doris & Ed’s in Highlands (1998), White House Sub Shop in Atlantic City (2000) and Mustache Bill’s Diner in Barnegat Light (2009) are among the other Garden State winners.
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Jeremy Schneider can be reached at [email protected] and followed on Twitter at @J_Schneider and on Instagram at @JeremyIsHungryAgain.
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