When I tell people I’m a food writer, most respond with the statement: “Oh, you’re a food blogger!” As if *that* were the only option. Sometimes I just nod, sometimes I explain more about how I launched my Cook & Tell newsletter as a digital reboot of the foodletter my mom wrote for 30+ years--all without the internet.
just back from 2 weeks in italy and have spent two full days and nights with Woody doing 11 postings including myriad photos of all the places and food we ate. we gave so many detailed, and I so love to write, i jokingly said to Woody that maybe someone will offer me a job as official restaurant reviewer! but i'm not looking for it. i prefer to write from the heart with no agenda other than sharing the things we loved and not even mentioning those we didn't.
You have a reporter's mind, Rose. Even on vacation you were chronicling everything. Now what are you going to do with it? I guess post it on social media, unless you want to devote a few newsletters to it. I hope you had a great time, regardless.
the first half is posted on our blog www.realbakingwithrose.com and the second half will be on oct. 15. and just about every day i'll post photos on instgram and instagram story with a link to main blog posting.
after several years it occurred to me to look at the stats for the blog and at its heyday 2011 there were close to 2 million and year. 2022 389K a year!
I’m not a restaurant reviewer but constantly experience something similar. When you tell people you’re a professionally trained chef the next thing out of their mouth is what restaurant do you work in. Like there’s no other way to work when you’re a chef. I’ve worked as a personal chef, a private chef, recipe developer, consulted for a spice company. I’ve been a caterer, Ive taught cooking and done demos. For many years, I have been an online content, creator, and Food Photographer. There are so many roles in the food world. Have I worked in a restaurant kitchen? Yes. Being a restaurant chef is not all there is.
I chuckled when I read the subtitle. I'm doing restaurant reviews and am seen locally (Kansas City) as a food critic. I started my blog, Chuck Eats KC (https://chuckeatskc.com/ | https://chuckeatskc.substack.com/) in 2019 partially for reasons you mention. One reason was to give me an outlet to improve my writing, on topics that weren't close to daily work. But the main reason was to provide an independent voice for local restaurant reviews and food writing. I looked around and saw that all reviews were behind corporate walled gardens (Yelp, Facebook, etc.). I've long been active in publishing, journalism, libraries, and promoting alternative media.
I've been involved in online content creation for 30 years. I've worked for big magazines (Science) and was a co-editor of a mid size newsstand magazine. So, I thought I knew what I was getting into. It's been fun, but challenging, especially because of the pandemic. My growth on Substack has been painfully slow, but my blog is growing and I'm writing more and doing multimedia. I'm also a food critic on local public radio. Also, there are more people here doing independent food writing.
Glad to know about your KC-food blog, Chuck! My boyfriend is from KC so we head back to visit family and eat twice a year. I posted a love letter to Bryant's recently (https://digin.substack.com/p/a-long-overdue-barbecue-pilgrimage) and am planning future write-ups on Town Topic, Winstead's, Gates and more. I love the food in KC and can't wait to check out your recommendations.
Nice to meet you, Whitney. Love your write up of Arthur Bryant's. Great choice and organization of pictures. It's really fun to read about why you sought it out as somebody who isn't local. I've done some "BBQ tour guide" duties for visiting friends. Looking forward to hearing what you think about these other KC classics!
I bet there aren't many writers doing your kind of work. I salute you for fighting against the machine. Long may you reign!
Independent food writing is also a rarity, unless it's done by those who have their own websites (formerly called bloggers, now maybe content creators -- meaning mostly recipes).
I do restaurant listicles because that is what many outlets will find easier to cover. They don't pay a ton, and those are getting more difficult to land as well.
I save my critical notes about a particular restaurant / chef for my editor. Very few are looking for a restaurant critic, because digital platforms are often run through ad revenues, and these are not easy on the eyes of a potential revenue bringing customer, especially if it is a small local business. I wrote a scathing review on Yelp of a restaurant I used to like - and when the owner proceeded to insult me (and other reviewers), I revealed my identity... I wont be dining there ever again, and unfortunately - others wont be either. I love supporting small businesses but expect them to hold up to a standard.
My editors know I wont cover something that I don't like, or in extreme cases - hate. I believe, it is ultimately is the voice that matters.
I know of a restaurant reviewer and travel writer and every time I read their work, I feel it is sponsored content. Would I trust everything they write about? Probably not. Their lifestyle seems glam, but definitely it does more service to the tourism industry than it does to an average diner.
Yes, listsicles are still popular and very easy to write. And right, they don't pay well. But in food writing, that is not unusual.
Re revenue, I used to work at city magazines (I was the editor of one) and they listed restaurants at the front. Both based the list on whether restaurants were advertisers. If not, they were the first listings to be cut for space reasons. That being said, today most online revenue goes to Google and Facebook. Online publications are fighting it out, and it's much worse for print ones.
I hope this person you mention states that their content is sponsored. But probably not. Sigh...
100% of the time I say I'm a food writer, people either say, "What?" as if they didn't hear me or "What's your favorite restaurant?" Now, I was a restaurant reviewer for a daily newspaper in North Carolina for about five years, but the pandemic squashed that job into dust. People absolutely do not understand what a food writer is or does. It's maddening and I often think of telling people I'm a ln insurance agent so they won't ask any more inane questions.
Did you see the comment from the chef that she has problems too, where people assume she works in a fancy restaurant? I guess we humans want quick answers to things where we don't have to think hard about them.
Nikki, you were a restaurant reviewer for 5 years? I like learning more about you in the comments.
It's as if the only way a person can be a chef or culinarian is if they are affiliated with a brick and mortar restaurant. Insert big ol' eye roll here. And yes! I was a casual dining restaurant reviewer for 5 years. It was my dream job. I was a freelancer and it came with no perks, but my favorite part was the emails and messages from readers. I miss that.
It would be really interesting to hear more of your thoughts on finding out your book was used to train AI. I have no idea if either of mine have - I don't have a subscription to The Atlantic and whilst I obviously support paywalls and the idea that you should pay a fair price for quality journalism, it also does not sit right with me that I should have to part with credit card details to set up a free trial in order to find out if I've been exploited for financial gain or not...
You don't need a subscription to the Atlantic to find out. Just follow the link and it leads you to a field where you can type in your name. That's it!
As for using my book as a guide, well, at least they have good taste and they are getting some deep, quality information. There's so much bad writing on the internet.
Hmm. Whenever I click on the link to search the dataset, it doesn't go to the right place. Before I could put my name in a field. Now it seems that it just keeps going to the articles but not the search engine. Sorry, Rachel. It doesn't seem right that you have to buy a subscription to go to the database.
When I tell people I’m a copywriter, I frequently get asked if I’m a lawyer. It’s interesting to hear people’s impressions and understandings of different professions.
When I tell people I’m a food writer, most respond with the statement: “Oh, you’re a food blogger!” As if *that* were the only option. Sometimes I just nod, sometimes I explain more about how I launched my Cook & Tell newsletter as a digital reboot of the foodletter my mom wrote for 30+ years--all without the internet.
Yes someone else told me that’s what she gets. It’s a little more and more and then thinking that you’re a reviewer, I guess..
just back from 2 weeks in italy and have spent two full days and nights with Woody doing 11 postings including myriad photos of all the places and food we ate. we gave so many detailed, and I so love to write, i jokingly said to Woody that maybe someone will offer me a job as official restaurant reviewer! but i'm not looking for it. i prefer to write from the heart with no agenda other than sharing the things we loved and not even mentioning those we didn't.
You have a reporter's mind, Rose. Even on vacation you were chronicling everything. Now what are you going to do with it? I guess post it on social media, unless you want to devote a few newsletters to it. I hope you had a great time, regardless.
the first half is posted on our blog www.realbakingwithrose.com and the second half will be on oct. 15. and just about every day i'll post photos on instgram and instagram story with a link to main blog posting.
after several years it occurred to me to look at the stats for the blog and at its heyday 2011 there were close to 2 million and year. 2022 389K a year!
That's amazing. My stats were fantastic then too. It was a different time.
Rose...Love it ... your “write from the heart with no agenda other than sharing the things we loved and not mentioning those we didn’t”. 👏
I’m not a restaurant reviewer but constantly experience something similar. When you tell people you’re a professionally trained chef the next thing out of their mouth is what restaurant do you work in. Like there’s no other way to work when you’re a chef. I’ve worked as a personal chef, a private chef, recipe developer, consulted for a spice company. I’ve been a caterer, Ive taught cooking and done demos. For many years, I have been an online content, creator, and Food Photographer. There are so many roles in the food world. Have I worked in a restaurant kitchen? Yes. Being a restaurant chef is not all there is.
Hah! Exactly. People want to simply everything, I guess. But we contain multitudes.
I chuckled when I read the subtitle. I'm doing restaurant reviews and am seen locally (Kansas City) as a food critic. I started my blog, Chuck Eats KC (https://chuckeatskc.com/ | https://chuckeatskc.substack.com/) in 2019 partially for reasons you mention. One reason was to give me an outlet to improve my writing, on topics that weren't close to daily work. But the main reason was to provide an independent voice for local restaurant reviews and food writing. I looked around and saw that all reviews were behind corporate walled gardens (Yelp, Facebook, etc.). I've long been active in publishing, journalism, libraries, and promoting alternative media.
I've been involved in online content creation for 30 years. I've worked for big magazines (Science) and was a co-editor of a mid size newsstand magazine. So, I thought I knew what I was getting into. It's been fun, but challenging, especially because of the pandemic. My growth on Substack has been painfully slow, but my blog is growing and I'm writing more and doing multimedia. I'm also a food critic on local public radio. Also, there are more people here doing independent food writing.
Glad to know about your KC-food blog, Chuck! My boyfriend is from KC so we head back to visit family and eat twice a year. I posted a love letter to Bryant's recently (https://digin.substack.com/p/a-long-overdue-barbecue-pilgrimage) and am planning future write-ups on Town Topic, Winstead's, Gates and more. I love the food in KC and can't wait to check out your recommendations.
Nice to meet you, Whitney. Love your write up of Arthur Bryant's. Great choice and organization of pictures. It's really fun to read about why you sought it out as somebody who isn't local. I've done some "BBQ tour guide" duties for visiting friends. Looking forward to hearing what you think about these other KC classics!
Thanks for subscribing, Chuck! Excited to dive into your posts and learn even more about KC's amazing food scene.
Hello rare bird! Thank you for chiming in, Chuck.
I bet there aren't many writers doing your kind of work. I salute you for fighting against the machine. Long may you reign!
Independent food writing is also a rarity, unless it's done by those who have their own websites (formerly called bloggers, now maybe content creators -- meaning mostly recipes).
I do both - one overtly, one covertly.
I do restaurant listicles because that is what many outlets will find easier to cover. They don't pay a ton, and those are getting more difficult to land as well.
I save my critical notes about a particular restaurant / chef for my editor. Very few are looking for a restaurant critic, because digital platforms are often run through ad revenues, and these are not easy on the eyes of a potential revenue bringing customer, especially if it is a small local business. I wrote a scathing review on Yelp of a restaurant I used to like - and when the owner proceeded to insult me (and other reviewers), I revealed my identity... I wont be dining there ever again, and unfortunately - others wont be either. I love supporting small businesses but expect them to hold up to a standard.
My editors know I wont cover something that I don't like, or in extreme cases - hate. I believe, it is ultimately is the voice that matters.
I know of a restaurant reviewer and travel writer and every time I read their work, I feel it is sponsored content. Would I trust everything they write about? Probably not. Their lifestyle seems glam, but definitely it does more service to the tourism industry than it does to an average diner.
Yes, listsicles are still popular and very easy to write. And right, they don't pay well. But in food writing, that is not unusual.
Re revenue, I used to work at city magazines (I was the editor of one) and they listed restaurants at the front. Both based the list on whether restaurants were advertisers. If not, they were the first listings to be cut for space reasons. That being said, today most online revenue goes to Google and Facebook. Online publications are fighting it out, and it's much worse for print ones.
I hope this person you mention states that their content is sponsored. But probably not. Sigh...
100% of the time I say I'm a food writer, people either say, "What?" as if they didn't hear me or "What's your favorite restaurant?" Now, I was a restaurant reviewer for a daily newspaper in North Carolina for about five years, but the pandemic squashed that job into dust. People absolutely do not understand what a food writer is or does. It's maddening and I often think of telling people I'm a ln insurance agent so they won't ask any more inane questions.
Hah. Yes I get that too.
Yeah, try that. Maybe they'll ask you for quotes!
Did you see the comment from the chef that she has problems too, where people assume she works in a fancy restaurant? I guess we humans want quick answers to things where we don't have to think hard about them.
Nikki, you were a restaurant reviewer for 5 years? I like learning more about you in the comments.
It's as if the only way a person can be a chef or culinarian is if they are affiliated with a brick and mortar restaurant. Insert big ol' eye roll here. And yes! I was a casual dining restaurant reviewer for 5 years. It was my dream job. I was a freelancer and it came with no perks, but my favorite part was the emails and messages from readers. I miss that.
I also was a freelance reviewer for years, back in the day when it was steady work and editors reimbursed me for meals.
It would be really interesting to hear more of your thoughts on finding out your book was used to train AI. I have no idea if either of mine have - I don't have a subscription to The Atlantic and whilst I obviously support paywalls and the idea that you should pay a fair price for quality journalism, it also does not sit right with me that I should have to part with credit card details to set up a free trial in order to find out if I've been exploited for financial gain or not...
You don't need a subscription to the Atlantic to find out. Just follow the link and it leads you to a field where you can type in your name. That's it!
As for using my book as a guide, well, at least they have good taste and they are getting some deep, quality information. There's so much bad writing on the internet.
Can you just confirm the link for me?
And I suppose that is a... silver lining?!
Hmm. Whenever I click on the link to search the dataset, it doesn't go to the right place. Before I could put my name in a field. Now it seems that it just keeps going to the articles but not the search engine. Sorry, Rachel. It doesn't seem right that you have to buy a subscription to go to the database.
Yep. Thanks for trying anyway!
When I tell people I’m a copywriter, I frequently get asked if I’m a lawyer. It’s interesting to hear people’s impressions and understandings of different professions.
That is so strange. But then I know what a copywriter does.
Thank you for the shout-out, Dianne. I owe a lot to you, your book, and your cookbook proposal-writing course!
Aww thanks Martin. You were a terrific student and you helped everyone in the class. I hope a book deal is coming your way soon.