Chicago Food Writers

I was talking with a friend the other day and the subject of food writing came up. We were talking about M. Fisher, Trilling of the New Yorker and a few other names, when she asked me about modern Chicago food writers. And I said that I really couldn't say.

So, what is the general consensus on Chicago food writers in all of the various media? I like Vitell at the Sun-Times well enough, but I actually prefer Mike Sula over at the Chicago Reader. His stuff has a pop to it that you don't generally find in the major dailies. The Reader in general has gotten better since Laura Shatkin left.

Time Out is OK. I enjoy their lists, but some of the writing has a samness to it.

Who are your favorites?

There's this guy called Hammond ...

HI,

Phil Vittel is with the Chicago Tribune ...

. . . my favorite Chicago food writers are all here, on LTH, and there are too many to cite.

Cheers,
Wade

Kristoq,

I've enjoyed reading Monica Eng of the Chicago Tribune ever since her World Eats and Dumpling Zone columns. I would inevitably be at the place, anyplace, she mentioned within a week, often that day.

I'd also agree wholeheartedly with Wade, my favorite food writers are here on LTHForum.

Enjoy,
Gary

Maybe it would be a cool idea for LTH Forum to award some kind of prize to the best food writer in Chicago (excluding regular LTH contributors). Keeping it limited to folks who publish in the regular papers/magazines (Tribune, Sun-Times, Reader, Time Out, Chicago Mag). Anyway, I'd nominate Monica Eng for her knowledge, fun writing style, and adventurousness.

I find Pat Bruno's writing fairly down to earth and generally agree with his recs.

Phil Vettel can be fussy, but is generally honest with his assessments of higher end places.

I have a question of clarification:

Do you mean food writers or restaurant reviewers? The two can be quite different. MFK Fisher & Calvin Trilling are best known for food writing, and the others you mention (chicago) are food/restaurant reviewers.

To the members of LTH: do you or do you not see a difference between food writers and restaurant reviewers? What is the distinction in your mind?

Queijo wrote:To the members of LTH: do you or do you not see a difference between food writers and restaurant reviewers? What is the distinction in your mind?

I think this is a good distinction to make. MFK Fisher is a food writer because she addresses big issues -- I'd put Pollan, Kurlansky and McGee in that category, too. They write about the philosophy, ethics, history and science of food, but rarely specific restaurants. However, guys like Bill Buford in Heat, for instance, do talk about specific restaurants (specifically Po, Babbo and other Batali adventures) but not in an evaluative way, and I think that's the critical distinction.

The evaluative appraoch is employed by reviewers like Vettel, Bruno, Sula, and Tamarkin -- they are providing information you can use to make dining decisions, and most of their writing is focused on specific restaurants.

Hammond

Aaron C wrote:Maybe it would be a cool idea for LTH Forum to award some kind of prize to the best food writer in Chicago (excluding regular LTH contributors).

I think this could be an issue, since there are many excellent food writers who contribute to LTH and make the community richer for it. Certainly other food writers peruse the board from time to time without contributing. Should a program be put in place which might further encourage the latter group to refrain from contributing here? On the other hand, should those who do contribute to LTH be excluded from what could be a nice little award to post on their office walls?

I don't have any answers to any of this - just throwing in my 2¢ to bollix up the concept.

The definite difference is the evaluation issue. I think Bill Rice was one of our best food writers. As for the critics-Bruno is too cutesy, Vittel and Wheaton less so. Time Out doesn't seem to have anyone that savvy yet, and the Reader has improved, I think. The problem for me with our major food critics is that they are often too much like cheerleaders, which while I understand the positive side of this-it can be irritating. The "Hot List" in Chicago Mag is especially grating.

Michael Nagrant has had some good stuff in Newcity....his story on how Alinea designs serveware and his story on organic farming this year were some of my favorite local pieces...I think he has a column sometimes..I don't know though because I don't read it every week. This review was one of my favorites written by anyone all year...

http://www.newcitychicago.com/chicago/5568.html

cucinaparadiso wrote:Michael Nagrant has had some good stuff in Newcity....his story on how Alinea designs serveware and his story on organic farming this year were some of my favorite local pieces...I think he has a column sometimes..I don't know though because I don't read it every week. This review was one of my favorites written by anyone all year...

http://www.newcitychicago.com/chicago/5568.html

You can also try www.hungrymag.com

Aaron C wrote:Maybe it would be a cool idea for LTH Forum to award some kind of prize to the best food writer in Chicago (excluding regular LTH contributors). Keeping it limited to folks who publish in the regular papers/magazines (Tribune, Sun-Times, Reader, Time Out, Chicago Mag). Anyway, I'd nominate Monica Eng for her knowledge, fun writing style, and adventurousness.

Speaking simply as a contributor to LTH, I don't particularly like this idea especially excluding LTH contributors. Almost everyone who is a regular contributor to LTH considers themselves a Chicago writer. Some get paid, some don't want the bother of working with an editor and many it simply is an avocation. Whatever the circumstance, the most flattering word one can offer is, "I read your (posts, articles, books)." It beats a prize from your peers just about everyday.

Of course, I am not a Chicago writer. I am a Highland Park writer!

Regards,

Cathy2 wrote:
Speaking simply as a contributor to LTH, I don't particularly like this idea especially excluding LTH contributors. Almost everyone who is a regular contributor to LTH considers themselves a Chicago writer. Some get paid, some don't want the bother of working with an editor and many it simply is an avocation. Whatever the circumstance, the most flattering word one can offer is, "I read your (posts, articles, books)." It beats a prize from your peers just about everyday.

Regards,

I agree with Cathy2. Speaking as a food writer who has received a few awards, as nice as it is to be able to mention them on my resume, the thngs that are the most deeply meaningful to me are when I get an e-mail from someone who says that something I wrote was really fascinating or reminded them of a loved one or brought back a good time from their past or made them want to go somewhere or try something. I feel that even when they're just responding to something I wrote on LTHForum, rather than to a published piece. For most writers, I think the whole point is connecting and sharing. I think that's why a fair number of professionals post on LTH, even though they have a platform somewhere else.

Hi,

In a small way to encourage this art form, I helped plan this food writing workshop.

If you are interested and can attend, please do.

Regards,

Cathy2 wrote:In a small way to encourage this art form, I helped plan this food writing workshop.

If you are interested and can attend, please do.

The class sounds intriguing, but the schedule seems rather ambitious for a 3 hour session. I would like to see a class that concentrates on the actual art of writing rather than the legal and business aspects of being a food writer. I would like to improve my writing skills, but have no real interest in becoming a professional writer (unless somebody wants to make me an offer I can't refuse ). One of the wonderful things about the internet (and specifically LTH) is that it provides a direct connection from the writer to the reader, bypassing the "business" side of things. I think this process has produced a fantastic new crop of professional writers who started out as amateur artists who simply wanted to communicate something they were passionate about with total disregard for financial rewards.

Hi,

This is for people who have the writing chops who don't know how to crack into the market or are published and want to extend their reach. It is an interesting array of people who are attending, some have bylines in various local periodicals.

Rob Dirks, a retired professor of anthropology, is attending who commented, "Andrew Smith every year produces several books and articles about various foods, and generally they are well conceived and solidly written; I've got to find out how he manages to be so prolific."

Andy Smith who is conducting this class, which I agree is quite ambitious, is a very good contact for people who write about food. Whether it is answering a question, seeking a resource or identifying who may want to publish your missive. He also seems to never sleep, he may be online all the time, because he usually answers all my questions pretty quickly.

This is a toe in the water with plans to host a food writing and cookbook conference in the future.

Regards,