Recognition Time

Houston Press food writer Robb Walsh has been named a finalist in two prestigious contests sponsored by the International Association of Culinary Professionals.

He is a finalist in the association's Bert Greene Awards for Food Journalism for "Sex, Death and Oysters," an accounting of the oyster industry in the Houston area.

The association also named him a finalist in the American category of the best cookbook competition, for his book The Tex-Mex Cookbook: A History in Recipes and Photos.

The awards, which are sponsored by the California Table Grape Commission, Cuisinart and Le Cordon Bleu, honor the best writing and publishing in the food and beverage industry. Winners will be announced April 16.

In other awards announcements, Houston Press writers are finalists in the statewide First Amendment Awards contest sponsored by the Fort Worth chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists.

Former staffer Sarah Fenske is a finalist in the "Use of Public Records General News" category for "Black and White," which investigated whether African-American deputies in the Harris County Sheriff's Department are being treated fairly.

Editor Margaret Downing is a finalist in the "Opening the Books" category for her story "A Closer Look at Dillard's," which examined five customer deaths at Dillard's stores. The stores have been the focus of criticism for both their allegedly racist policies and their use of off-duty law enforcement officers as security guards.

Winners will be announced April 9.