Powell's winning feature story, "Eat Early, Eat Cheap," appeared in the April 25, 1996, issue of New Times. It explored the history and evolution of the celebrated early bird special, a restaurant phenomenon said to have originated here in South Florida. The article took top honors in the Newspaper Feature Writing (without recipes) category.
New Times managing editor Tom Finkel was also a James Beard nominee. His feature story, "Uncorked!" (April 11, 1996), which took a critical look at the issue of restaurant wine pricing, was one of three finalists for Newspaper Writing on Spirits, Wine, and Beer. The winner in that division was David Shaw of the Los Angeles Times Magazine.
