‘Maria’s Portuguese Table’ series nominated for prestigious award in multiple categories

DARTMOUTH – Maria Lawton’s popular PBS cooking series keeps racking up award nominations, while putting an unprecedented spotlight on Portuguese cuisine and culture.

“Maria’s Portuguese Table” has just been nominated for three Taste Awards, known as the Oscars in the food realm. The series will be competing in the categories of “Best Food Travel Series on TV,” “Best Food Program on TV,” and “Best Travel Program.”

Lawton, a Dartmouth resident, told O Jornal she was speechless when she first heard the news.

“It’s crazy,” she said. “There’s just so many great shows out there. I am truly grateful and humbled by it all… I can only imagine my parents up above going ‘yeah!’.”

She said she feels extremely honored because there are so many incredible nominees in every category.

“It’s mind blowing to be nominated in a group of incredibly talented people, from Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street, Andrew Zimmerman to one of my all-time favorite Lidia Bastianich and countless others,” she wrote on her official Facebook page.

Winners of selected Taste Award categories are expected to be pre-announced in mid-February. Winners will receive their honors in person at a star-studded ceremony on March 11 in Beverly Hills at the WGA Theater.

“Maria’s Portuguese Table” keeps making history

Released in 2019 on Rhode Island PBS, ‘Maria’s Portuguese Table’ made history as it was the first series dedicated to Portuguese food and travel on American television.

The series immediately gained a nationwide audience, stacking up accolades and awards, which paved the way to a second season that premiered in April 2023.

“It’s showing people a certain history of who we are, and it’s just really wonderful to hear back from people saying, ‘thank you for doing that,’” Lawton said. “I’m very proud of the work that was done, and all the love that went into making it.”

For season one, Lawton was nominated for Outstanding Host for the series by the Boston/New England Emmy Awards, part of The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, Boston -New England Chapter. The show also garnered a Taste Award as well as Silver and Bronze Telly Awards.

Lawton said she is beyond proud of all the people that have worked with her, supported the series, and made it all possible.

“It could not have happened, if not for so many people and organizations that believed in my vision of bringing Portuguese food, culture and history to American television,” she wrote on the Facebook page. “Also congratulations to my Producer Dean Camara and his team at Cineasta Digital Productions for all the talent and hard work that was so beautifully put together.”

Filming for the second season took place in the summer and fall of 2022 in New England - including various locations in New Bedford and Fall River - and in the Azores.

A native of São Miguel, Azores, Lawton immigrated with her family to New Bedford at age 6.

Also known as the “Azorean Green Bean” - which she likes to call herself and use as her company name as a celebration of her culture - she is the author of the best-selling cookbook “Azorean Cooking: From My Table to Yours.”

Talks underway for season three

Lawton said she has been talking with her producer and throwing ideas around for more episodes.

“We need to start looking at season three and where we want to go,” she said. “There’s been going back and forth on the spots that we want to visit and showcase.”

New Jersey, New York, Connecticut and Toronto are some of the locations that have been tossed around on this side of the Atlantic. On the other side, Madeira, Graciosa, and Santa Maria are some of the spots on Lawton’s radar.

She said filming will start as soon as the necessary sponsorships are secured.

“Whereas the last time around I had half of the money and started filming, and then stopped filming and raised more money and filmed the other half, I don’t want to do that this time,” she said. “It was a lot of stress; there was a lot of sleepless nights.”

For more information about Lawton and “Maria’s Portuguese Table,” visit azoreangreenbean.com or email Lawton at azoreangreenbean@gmail.com.

This article originally appeared on The Herald News: ‘Maria’s Portuguese Table’ series nominated for multiple Taste Awards