Develop fantastic
writing skills as a newspaper reporter.
You can have the most discriminating palate in the world,
but you'll never make it as a food critic if you can't communicate well.
- If
you are heading to school, major in journalism or English. Work on the
university paper and try to write as many articles as you can on food and
the arts.
- If
you can't go to school full-time, try to take courses part-time and/or
look into getting an internship at a local magazine or newspaper.
Become familiar with the
restaurant business. At the very least, you should know how things
operate behind the scenes.
- Owning
or co-owning a restaurant is very practical for a food critic.
- If
possible, work in restaurants and study how they work from top to bottom. Ask
many questions. Educate yourself.
Test the limits of your
palate. To be a food critic, you must have an incredible and
adventurous palate.
- Training
your palate is like exercising a muscle: you need to be able to detect the
subtle nuances of flavor and seasoning in food.
- Try
anything and everything you come across, no matter how strange or foreign
it may seem, and record your impressions as descriptively as you can.
- It
really helps to be the kind of person who has tremendous zest for life
willing to take many adventures and risks.
This job is not for the faint-hearted.
Become an expert in food. Your
goal should be to become a first-class connoisseur of cuisine. Food should
become your life!
- Read
cookbooks by master chefs from all around the world.
- Build
your culinary vocabulary. Frequent fresh food markets and learn about
produce and herb seasonings from all over the world.
- Study
the art of cooking. Take cooking classes non-stop. Make it your goal to
attain a "chef" level in cooking.
- Try
to take a few wine classes and make many visits to wineries. A good
appreciation of wine is crucial not only because it complements the food,
but also because knowing how to taste wine can develop your palate.
- Travel
to food and wine festivals, from first class to the obscure. Be obsessive
in your search for new food trends and ideas.
- Consider
becoming an expert on a certain food, such as dark chocolate, later in your career.
Many food writers also immerse themselves in the history and culture of
food to add depth to their articles.
- Become
fluent in an important food language like French, Spanish or Italian.
Research other food critics
and chefs. This is imperative; everyone has their own style of food
writing and you need to find your own "voice". Start by reading the
works of:
- Ruth
Reichl
- M.F.K.
Fisher
- A.J.
Liebling
- Elizabeth
David
- Calvin
Trillin
- A.A.
Gill
- Robert
Courtine
Write reviews. Sign
up for a free profile at dine.com and get some experience writing basic reviews
of restaurants in your neighborhood. Then, try the following restaurant review
method:
- When
you go to a new restaurant, go with three friends. Be sure to bring
someone who can fill you in on a certain type of cuisine. Ex. if you’ll be
having ethnic food, bringing someone who grew up in that region would be a
big plus.
- Ask
everyone to order something different (including appetizers and dessert)
and take two bits of every dish, including your own.
- Then
stop eating. The reason for this is twofold: it helps you maintain a
healthy weight, and it helps leave enough room in your stomach for
everything. (Besides, you can always ask to have things wrapped up and
take them home, or your friends might have fun finishing what you didn't.)
- Between
each dish, try to take a mental snapshot of the dish, and remember your
impressions of it.
- Do not take
notes at the restaurant. Wait until you get home, in the car, or even the
bathroom. You don't want to tip the restaurant off that you're a reviewer.
- Pay
attention to the ambiance and service. Make note of anything that
contributes to or takes away from the experience. Food critics often have
an extensive checklist that includes, but is not limited to the
impressiveness of the food.
- After
your first visit to the restaurant, do it all over again. This time, you
and your companions should order dishes that you didn't have the time
before. It’s only fair to try many different dishes before deciding how
you're going to rate that restaurant.[1]
Don't become recognizable. Anonymity
is important to the career of a food critic; once people know who you are,
they'll try especially hard to make sure you enjoy their food which, while
nice, can interfere with your review of the food. After all, your readers won't
get that kind of treatment, and your job is to let them know what they can
expect as an average person, not a food critic. [1]
- Make
reservations under a fake name (or else they might recognize your real
name with what's published in the paper) and keep a low profile (don't go
to benefits, wine dinners, or other gatherings
- Don't
appear on television or participate as a celebrity in events; don't accept
offers to try a chef's cuisine).
- Failing
to keep your anonymity intact may warrant a lot of criticism from readers.[2]
Create a portfolio. If your plan is to become a food critic, then you must write all the time to have something to show to editors.
- Be
sure to include at least 40 articles that you have written on food, wine,
restaurants, chefs, food festivals, etc.
- Schedule
writing one article a week until you build up a body of writing work.
- Consider starting a blog.
Apply to different newspapers
and magazines regarding writing food columns. A big part of your life will
be writing newspaper stories about all aspects of food.
- In
most cases, you will not start out as a food critic; you will start at the
very bottom. You might even get a job that doesn't have a thing to do with
food, but it'll get your foot in the door.
- Once
you’re there, write about food on the side. You might inherit a food
critic's position as a result.[1]
