A food critic , food writer , or restaurant critic is a writer who analyzes food or restaurants and then publishes the results of their findings to the public.
60-557: Craig Claiborne (September 4, 1920 – January 22, 2000) was an American restaurant critic , food journalist and book author. A long-time food editor and restaurant critic for The New York Times , he was also the author of numerous cookbooks and an autobiography . Over the course of his career, he made many contributions to gastronomy and food writing in the United States. Born in Sunflower , Mississippi , Claiborne
120-402: A Provençal word meaning "the little one" but over time the property was often affectionately referred to simply as "La Peetch". In his New York Times best-selling book, Dearie: The Remarkable Life of Julia Child , author Bob Spitz stated that Child was diagnosed with breast cancer in the mid-60s. She had a mastectomy on February 28, 1968. The three would-be authors initially signed
180-414: A shark repellent ," which were sprinkled in the water near the explosives and repelled sharks. Still in use today, the experimental shark repellent "marked Child's first foray into the world of cooking." During 1944–1945, Child was posted to Kandy , Ceylon (now Sri Lanka ), where her responsibilities included "registering, cataloging and channeling a great volume of highly classified communications" for
240-527: A $ 300 winning bid at a charity auction for a no-price-limit dinner for two at any restaurant of the winner's choice, sponsored by American Express . Selecting Franey as his dining companion, the two settled on Chez Denis , a noted restaurant located in Paris , France , where they racked up a $ 4,000 tab (equivalent to $ 22,600 in 2023) on a five-hour, thirty-one-course meal of foie gras , truffles , lobster , caviar and rare wines. When Claiborne later wrote about
300-539: A book review show on what was then the National Educational Television (NET) station of Boston, WGBH-TV (now a major Public Broadcasting Service station), led to the inception of her first television cooking show after viewers enjoyed her demonstration of how to cook an omelette. The French Chef debuted as a summer pilot series, on July 26, 1962. This led to the program becoming a regular series, beginning on February 11, 1963, on WGBH , where it
360-488: A brief time with Child during that period while he was researching and writing his then working title, History of Eating and Cooking in America . In 1993, Child voiced Dr. Julia Bleeb in the animated film, We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story . Spitz took notes and made many recordings of his conversation with Child, and these later formed the basis of a secondary biography on Child, published August 7, 2012 (Knopf), five days before
420-628: A contract with publisher Houghton Mifflin , which later rejected the manuscript for seeming too much like an encyclopedia. When it was finally published in 1961 by Alfred A. Knopf , the 726-page Mastering the Art of French Cooking was a best-seller and received critical acclaim that derived in part from the American interest in French culture in the early 1960s. Lauded for its helpful illustrations and precise attention to detail, and for making fine cuisine accessible,
480-402: A critic with an open mind and eye for cooking that was different, creative and likely to appeal to his readers. Inspired by food writers including M. F. K. Fisher , Claiborne also enjoyed documenting his own eating experiences and the discovery of new talent and new culinary trends across the country and across the world. Among the many then-unknown chefs he brought to the public's attention was
540-632: A description of the organization and the grant provided by the Foundation. One of the grant recipients is Heritage Radio Network which covers the world of food, drink, and agriculture. Beyond making grants, the Foundation was also established to protect Child's legacy. Many of these rights are jointly held with other organizations like her publishers and the Schlesinger Library at The Radcliffe Institute at ° Harvard University . The Foundation has been active in protecting these posthumous rights. Child
600-451: A great deal about food (among other things) and has been known to write occasionally about specific restaurants, e.g., Arthur Bryant's and Diedee's. But restaurants figure less prominently in his writing than in Apple's. Finally, Richard Olney was also a noted food writer, but rarely if ever wrote about restaurants. Food critics and "restaurant critic" are synonyms, in practice, although there
660-460: A series of well-documented incidents, Miller complained that Reichl was "giving SoHo noodle shops 2 and 3 stars" and destroying the rating system that had been built up by Craig Claiborne , Mimi Sheraton , and Miller. For most of the past century, the most highly visible food critics have been those who have written for daily newspapers throughout the world and a few who have been restaurant reviewers for influential magazines, such as Gourmet in
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#1732869546181720-524: A time as a copywriter for the advertising department of W. & J. Sloane . She was still hoping to become a novelist. While Child grew up in a family with a cook, she did not observe or learn cooking from this person, and she never learned until she met her husband-to-be, Paul, who grew up in a family very interested in food. Child joined the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) in 1942 after finding that at 6 feet 2 inches (1.88 m) tall, she
780-642: A wide range of foods and culinary styles, including some of the first best-selling cookbooks dedicated to healthy, low- sodium and low- cholesterol diets. He had a long-time professional relationship and collaborated on many books and projects with the French-born New York City chef, author and television personality Pierre Franey . Claiborne was an advocate of a fad diet known as the Gourmet Diet . With Franey, he worked out two hundred low-sodium, low-cholesterol recipes for this diet. In 1975, he placed
840-587: A year, she worked at the OSS Emergency Sea Rescue Equipment Section (ESRES) in Washington, D.C. as a file clerk and then as an assistant to developers of a shark repellent needed to ensure that sharks would not explode ordnance targeting German U-boats . When Child was asked to solve the problem of too many OSS underwater explosives being set off by curious sharks, "Child's solution was to experiment with cooking various concoctions as
900-595: Is available online. While in Kandy she met Paul Cushing Child , also an OSS employee, and the two were married on September 1, 1946, in Lumberville, Pennsylvania , later moving to Washington, D.C. Paul, a New Jersey native who had lived in Paris as an artist and poet, was known for his sophisticated palate, and introduced his wife to fine cuisine. He joined the United States Foreign Service , and, in 1948,
960-401: Is now headquartered. Inactive until after Julia's death in 2004, the Foundation makes grants to other nonprofits. The grants support primarily gastronomy, the culinary arts, and the further development of the professional food world, all matters of paramount importance to Julia Child during her lifetime. The Foundation's website provides a dedicated page listing the names of grant recipients with
1020-633: Is often used as a broad term that encompasses someone who writes about food and about restaurants. For example, Ruth Reichl is often described as a food writer/editor, who in the course of her career served as the "restaurant critic" for The New York Times and for the Los Angeles Times . R.W. "Johnny" Apple was also described as a food writer, but never served as a designated restaurant critic. Nonetheless, he wrote frequently about restaurants as he traveled in search of good eats. Calvin Trillin writes
1080-562: Is overreacting. If fear of food continues, it will be the death of gastronomy in the United States. Fortunately, the French don't suffer from the same hysteria we do. We should enjoy food and have fun. It is one of the simplest and nicest pleasures in life." Julia Child's kitchen , designed by her husband, was the setting for three of her television shows. It is now on display at the National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C. Beginning with In Julia's Kitchen with Master Chefs,
1140-404: Is still a distinction to be made. Both suggest a critical, evaluative stance that often involves some kind of rating system. The distinction, if any involves the range of possible investigation. "Food critic" has a more contemporary meaning, suggesting that restaurants, bakeries, food festivals and street vendors are all fair game. Jonathan Gold of L.A. Weekly and the Los Angeles Times , who
1200-524: Is the first food critic to win the Pulitzer Prize , exemplifies this trend. "Restaurant critic" is the more traditional title and can connote a more restricted sphere of operations — traditional restaurants, with perhaps those serving French cuisine being the examples. The change in practice, if not in terminology, is often attributed to Reichl's arrival at the New York Times , replacing Bryan Miller. In
1260-778: The AIDS crisis of the 1980s, Child went from holding homophobic views to being a passionate AIDS activist, triggered by a close associate succumbing to AIDS. In the mid-1990s, as part of her work with the American Institute of Wine and Food, Child became increasingly concerned about children's food education. She starred in four more series in the 1990s that featured guest chefs: Cooking with Master Chefs , In Julia's Kitchen with Master Chefs , Baking with Julia , and Julia & Jacques Cooking at Home . She collaborated with Jacques Pépin many times for television programs and cookbooks. All of Child's books during this time stemmed from
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#17328695461811320-469: The American Institute of Wine & Food , with vintners Robert Mondavi and Richard Graff , and others, to "advance the understanding, appreciation and quality of wine and food," a pursuit she had already begun with her books and television appearances. In 1989, she published what she considered her magnum opus, a book and instructional video series collectively entitled The Way To Cook . During
1380-577: The Korean War . After deciding that his true passion lay in cooking, he used his G.I. Bill benefits to attend the École hôtelière de Lausanne (Lausanne Hotel School), located in Lausanne , Switzerland . Returning to the U.S. from Europe, he worked his way up in the food-publishing business in New York City , New York , as a contributor to Gourmet magazine and a food-product publicist, finally becoming
1440-547: The New Orleans , Louisiana , chef and restaurateur Paul Prudhomme . At the time, few people outside America's Deep South had any awareness of Louisiana's Cajun culture or its unique culinary traditions . Along with chef, author and television personality Julia Child , Claiborne has been credited with making the often intimidating world of French and other ethnic cuisine accessible to an American audience and American tastes. Claiborne authored or edited over twenty cookbooks on
1500-504: The U.S. Postal Service issued 20 million copies of the "Celebrity Chefs Forever" stamp series, which featured portraits by Jason Seiler of five American chefs: Child, Joyce Chen , James Beard , Edna Lewis , and Felipe Rojas-Lombardi . Smith College used the proceeds from the sale of Child's house in Cambridge to partially fund an architecturally dramatic campus center that opened in 2003. On November 17, 2022, it honored her by naming it
1560-523: The feminist movement of the 1960s, which meant that the issues housewives and women faced were somewhat ignored on television. In the 1970s and 1980s, she was the star of numerous television programs, including Julia Child & Company , Julia Child & More Company , and Dinner at Julia's . For the 1979 book Julia Child and More Company , she won a National Book Award in category Current Interest . In 1980, Child started appearing regularly on ABC 's Good Morning America . In 1981, she founded
1620-544: The Childs' home kitchen in Cambridge was fully transformed into a functional set, with TV-quality lighting, three cameras positioned to catch all angles in the room, and a massive center island with a gas stovetop on one side and an electric stovetop on the other, but leaving the rest of the Childs' appliances alone, including "my wall oven with its squeaking door." This kitchen backdrop hosted nearly all of Child's 1990s television series. After her friend Simone Beck died in 1991 at
1680-625: The Julia McWilliams Child '34 Campus Center. On November 19, 2000, Child was presented with a Knight of France 's Legion of Honor . She was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2000. She was awarded the U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2003; she received honorary doctorates from Harvard University , Johnson & Wales University (1995), Smith College (her alma mater), Brown University (2000), and several other universities. In 2007, Child
1740-675: The OSS's clandestine stations in Asia. She was later posted to Kunming , China , where she received the Emblem of Meritorious Civilian Service as head of the Registry of the OSS Secretariat. For her service, Child received an award that cited her many virtues, including her "drive and inherent cheerfulness". As with other OSS records, her file was declassified in 2008. Unlike other files, Child's complete file
1800-657: The Three Food Lovers). For the next decade, as the Childs moved around Europe and finally to Cambridge, Massachusetts , the three researched and repeatedly tested recipes. Child translated the French into English , making the recipes detailed, interesting, and practical. In 1963, the Childs built a home near the Provence town of Plascassier in the hills above Cannes on property belonging to co-author Beck and her husband, Jean Fischbacher. The Childs named it " La Pitchoune ",
1860-649: The United States. The ephemeral nature of radio and television has meant that very few food critics have used this medium effectively (as opposed to chefs who have used all media to great effect). An example is the BBC's The Food Programme . Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall has also used both broadcast media and print to concentrate on food production rather than presentation, starting a new column in The Guardian in September 2006. Restaurant critics range in their approach to writing from
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1920-543: The acerbic (such as A. A. Gill from London), to the witty/humorous (such as Morgan Murphy , "America's Funniest Food Critic," or Terry Durack from " The Independent on Sunday ") to the "been there done that" approach of Ruth Reichl of Gourmet and formerly of The New York Times . Other notable critics include Patricia Wells of the International Herald Tribune , who writes knowledgeable and perceptive articles about food and restaurants and who occasionally uses
1980-502: The age of 87, Child relinquished La Pitchoune after a month-long stay in June 1992 with her family, her niece, Phila, and close friend and biographer Noël Riley Fitch . She turned the keys over to Jean Fischbacher's sister, just as she and Paul had promised nearly 30 years earlier. That year, Child spent five days in Sicily at the invitation of Regaleali Winery. American journalist Bob Spitz spent
2040-630: The book is still in print and is considered a seminal culinary work. Following this success, Child wrote magazine articles and a regular column for The Boston Globe newspaper. She would go on to publish nearly twenty titles under her name and with others. Many, though not all, were related to her television shows. Her last book was the autobiographical My Life in France , published posthumously in 2006 and written with her grandnephew, Alex Prud'homme . The book recounts Child's life with her husband, Paul Cushing Child , in postwar France. A 1961 appearance on
2100-435: The centennial of her birthdate. Paul Child, who was ten years older than his wife, died in 1994 after living in a nursing home for five years following a series of strokes in 1989. In 2001, Child moved to a retirement community, donating her house and office to Smith College, which later sold the house. She donated her kitchen, which her husband had designed with high counters to accommodate her height, and which served as
2160-625: The couple moved to Paris after the State Department assigned Paul there as an exhibits officer with the United States Information Agency . The couple had no children. Child repeatedly recalled her first meal at La Couronne in Rouen as a culinary revelation; once, she described the meal of oysters , sole meunière , and fine wine to The New York Times as "an opening up of the soul and spirit for me." In 1951, she graduated from
2220-481: The experience in his New York Times column, the newspaper received a deluge of reader mail expressing outrage at such an extravagance at a time when so many in the world went without. Even the Vatican and Pope Paul VI criticized it, calling it "scandalous." It was also noted that he and Franey ordered nearly every dish on the menu, but they took only a few bites of each one. Despite its scale and expense, Claiborne gave
2280-663: The famous Cordon Bleu cooking school in Paris and later studied privately with Max Bugnard and other master chefs. She joined the women's cooking club Le Cercle des Gourmettes , through which she met Simone Beck , who was writing a French cookbook for Americans with her friend Louisette Bertholle . Beck proposed that Child work with them to make the book appeal to Americans. In 1951, Child, Beck, and Bertholle began to teach cooking to American women in Child's Paris kitchen, calling their informal school L'école des trois gourmandes (The School of
2340-428: The first television program to be captioned for the deaf , even though this was done using the preliminary technology of open-captioning. Child's second book, The French Chef Cookbook, was a collection of the recipes she had demonstrated on the show. It was soon followed in 1970 by Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume Two, again in collaboration with Simone Beck, but not with Louisette Bertholle, with whom
2400-518: The food editor of The New York Times in 1957 following the Times' first food editor, Jane Nickerson . Journalism historian Kimberly Wilmot Voss said Nickerson had laid the foundation for modern professional food writing and that while Claiborne has been credited with modernizing the profession, Nickerson had started down that path years before he was hired as her replacement. According to Voss, Nickerson "discovered" both Claiborne and James Beard . Claiborne
2460-489: The meal a mixed review, noting that several dishes fell short in terms of conception, presentation or quality. Claiborne, who suffered from a variety of health problems in his later years, died at age 79 at St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital , New York. No cause of death was given. In his will, he bequeathed his estate to The Culinary Institute of America , located in Hyde Park , New York. Restaurant critic "Food writer"
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2520-613: The most meals eaten by a food critic is 46,000 by Fred E. Magel of Chicago, in 60 countries over a 50-year career. Then there are myriad regional food critics, ranging from Nancy Leson in Seattle, to Pat Nourse in Sydney, Cooper Adams in Albany, and Stephen Downes and John Lethlean in Melbourne, who pen weekly and monthly reviews of the best of their respective cities. Giles Coren is known for hosting
2580-410: The pages, transforming it into an important cultural and social bellwether for New York City and the nation at large. Claiborne's columns, reviews and cookbooks introduced a generation of Americans to a variety of ethnic cuisines – particularly Asian and Mexican cuisines – at a time when average Americans had conservative tastes in food, and what little gourmet cooking
2640-556: The pleasures of the table, and of life, are infinite – toujours bon appétit!" Her ashes were placed on the Neptune Memorial Reef near Key Biscayne , Florida. In 1995, Child established The Julia Child Foundation for Gastronomy and Culinary Arts, a private charitable foundation to make grants to further her life's work. The Foundation, originally set up in Massachusetts, later moved to Santa Barbara, California , where it
2700-408: The professional relationship had ended. Child's fourth book, From Julia Child's Kitchen, was illustrated with her husband's photographs and documented the color series of The French Chef, as well as provided an extensive library of kitchen notes compiled by Child during the course of the show. Child had a large impact on American households and housewives . Because of the technology in the 1960s,
2760-812: The set for three of her television series, to the Smithsonian 's National Museum of American History , where it is now on display. Her copper pots and pans were on display at Copia in Napa, California , until August 2009 when they were reunited with her kitchen at the National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C. Child died of kidney failure in Montecito, California , on August 13, 2004, two days before her 92nd birthday. She ended her last book, My Life in France , with "... thinking back on it now reminds that
2820-747: The show "Million Dollar Critic" in which he assesses restaurants in Canada and United States ,focusing on the quality of services, food taste and the ambiance of every restaurant he visits. He has also been a food columnist for The Times , GQ , Tatler & The Independent . The internet has slowly become more important in forming opinions about restaurants. Food criticism on the Internet has allowed creation of shows with specific audiences as well as social media accounts such as food critics The VIP List on TikTok. Julia Child Julia Carolyn Child ( née McWilliams ; August 15, 1912 – August 13, 2004)
2880-513: The show was unedited, causing her blunders to appear in the final version and ultimately lend "authenticity and approachability to television." According to Toby Miller in "Screening Food: French Cuisine and the Television Palate," one mother he spoke to said that sometimes "all that stood between me and insanity was hearty Julia Child" because of Child's ability to soothe and transport her. In addition, Miller notes that Child's show began before
2940-538: The sword rather than her usual suave style. Another was R. W. Apple Jr. , from The New York Times , who wrote long, thoughtful articles about his travels throughout the world in search of great food. Brad A. Johnson in Los Angeles is the only American restaurant critic to win both the coveted James Beard Award and the Le Cordon Bleu World Food Media Award for restaurant criticism. The record for
3000-424: The television series of the same names. Child's use of ingredients like butter and cream has been questioned by food critics and modern-day nutritionists. She addressed these criticisms throughout her career, predicting that a "fanatical fear of food" would take over the country's dining habits, and that focusing too much on nutrition takes the pleasure from enjoying food. In a 1990 interview, Child said, "Everybody
3060-559: Was John McWilliams Jr. (1880–1962), a Princeton University graduate and prominent land manager. Child's mother was Julia Carolyn ("Caro") Weston (1877–1937), a paper-company heiress and daughter of Byron Curtis Weston , a lieutenant governor of Massachusetts . Child was the eldest of three, followed by a brother, John McWilliams III, and sister, Dorothy Cousins. Child attended Polytechnic School and Westridge School from 4th grade to 9th grade in Pasadena, California . In high school, Child
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#17328695461813120-422: Was an American chef, author, and television personality. She is recognized for having brought French cuisine to the American public with her debut cookbook , Mastering the Art of French Cooking , and her subsequent television programs, the most notable of which was The French Chef , which premiered in 1963. Child was born Julia Carolyn McWilliams in Pasadena, California , on August 15, 1912. Child's father
3180-476: Was available in cities like New York was exclusively French (and, Claiborne observed, not terribly high quality). Looking to hold restaurants accountable for what they served and help the public make informed choices about where to spend their dining dollars, he created the four-star system of rating restaurants still used by The New York Times and which has been widely imitated. Claiborne's reviews were exacting and uncompromising, but he also approached his task as
3240-403: Was immediately successful. The show ran nationally for ten years and won Peabody and Emmy Awards, including the first Emmy award for an educational program. Though she was not the first television cook, Child was the most widely seen. She attracted the broadest audience with her cheery enthusiasm, distinctively warbly voice, and unpatronizing, unaffected manner. In 1972, The French Chef became
3300-463: Was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame . Child was a favorite of audiences from the moment of her television debut on public television in 1963, and she was a familiar part of American culture and the subject of numerous references, including numerous parodies in television and radio programs and skits. Her great success on air may have been tied to her refreshingly pragmatic approach to
3360-570: Was opposed to endorsements, and the Foundation follows a similar policy regarding the use of her name and image for commercial purposes. The Julia Child rose , known in the UK as the "Absolutely Fabulous" rose, is a golden butter/gold floribunda rose named after Child. The exhibits in the West Wing (1 West) of the National Museum of American History address science and innovation. They include Bon Appétit! Julia Child's Kitchen. On September 26, 2014,
3420-587: Was raised on the region's distinctive cuisine in the kitchen of his mother's boarding house in Indianola, Mississippi . He essayed in premedical studies at the Mississippi State College from 1937 to 1939. Finding it to be unsuitable, he then transferred to the University of Mississippi , where he majored in journalism and got his B.A. degree. Claiborne served in the U.S. Navy during World War II and
3480-660: Was sent to the Katherine Branson School in Ross, California , which was at the time a boarding school. Child played tennis, golf, and basketball as a youth. Child also played sports while attending Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts , from which she graduated in 1934 with a major in history. At the time she graduated, she planned to become a novelist, or perhaps a magazine writer. Following her graduation from college, Child moved to New York City, where she worked for
3540-423: Was the first man to supervise the food page at a major American newspaper and is credited with broadening The New York Times' s coverage of new restaurants and innovative chefs. A typical food section of a newspaper in the 1950s was largely targeted to a female readership and limited to columns on entertaining and cooking for the upscale homemaker. Claiborne brought his knowledge of cuisine and own passion for food to
3600-598: Was too tall to enlist in the Women's Army Corps (WACs) or in the U.S. Navy's WAVES . She began her OSS career as a typist at its headquarters in Washington, D.C. , but, because of her education and experience, soon was given a position as a top-secret researcher working directly for the head of OSS, General William J. Donovan . As a research assistant in the Secret Intelligence division, Child typed over 10,000 names on white note cards to keep track of officers. For
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