Ruth Reichl is recognized as one of the most discerning voices in the food world, with accolades as a bestselling author, revered restaurant critic, and culinary industry influencer. Her icon status stems from groundbreaking roles in food journalism, including lead restaurant critic at the New York Times and Editor-in-Chief at Gourmet magazine. Ruth offers sharp insights connected to the shifting industry landscape, including supply chain and sustainability issues and innovations.
New in 2024, Ruth debuts her book The Paris Novel, described as a heartfelt adventure set in 1983 filled with food, art, and fashion. Her own comments on this book:
The truth is almost everything about this book makes me happy. Writing it was pure pleasure. It wasn't just Paris, but Paris past. A Paris filled with food and art and fashion. A Paris filled with writers. A Paris where a young American could live on very little as she discovered herself.
Ruth examined the country's food system with the documentary “Food and Country,” built on her many connections to ranchers, farmers, fishermen and restaurants wrestling with the challenges of industry consolidation. Launched at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival and SXSW, the film created buzz at film festivals across the country with uniformly favorable reviews.
A six-time James Beard Award winner, capped by her 2024 Lifetime Achievement Award, Ruth's work transcends all platforms with top honors for best-selling books, magazine feature writing, restaurant critique, and multimedia food commentary. Born and raised in New York City, she moved to Berkeley, California, in the early 1970s, launching her career as chef and co-owner of The Swallow Restaurant. She later held court as one of the top restaurant critics in America, influencing commentary during the early days of the foodie explosion.
Ruth bestselling memoirs include
Save Me the Plums: My Gourmet Memoir, a chronicle of her tenure at the magazine;
Tender at the Bone: Growing Up at the Table;
Comfort Me with Apples; and
Garlic and Sapphires: The Secret Life of a Critic in Disguise. Her cookbook
My Kitchen Year: 136 Recipes that Saved My Life received best cookbook accolades from industry peers and booksellers. For TV, Ruth's PBS series “Gourmet's Adventures with Ruth” featured the best cooking schools around the world.
Ruth is beloved as a fascinating and gracious speaker, sought as an authority on culinary trends; our fixation on food reflecting culture and society; on writing, memoirs, and self-discovery; and on the healing solace found in the kitchen. A favorite with audiences of all flavors, Ruth shares her current musings on her
La Briffe Substack channel.
0
