Other
Ruth Reichl
James Beard Award winner
- Discipline
- Other
i. Biography
At The New York Times in 1993, Ruth Reichl became restaurant critic in New York City, a role that put close reading of dining culture at the center of her work. She began writing about food in 1972 and later worked as restaurant critic and food editor at the Los Angeles Times in Los Angeles, building a body of criticism that treated a meal as evidence: of service, of taste, of place, and of how people choose to eat. "Food has always been my way of seeing the world. I have always looked at the world food-first."
Coming Up
University of Michigan is where Ruth Reichl trained before moving into kitchen work as chef and co-owner at Swallow Restaurant in Berkeley, California (1973–1977). That early service-room and line-level experience gave her a working knowledge of restaurants from the inside, and it stayed visible in the way she later wrote about meals, labor, and standards. From 1978, she moved into print as food writer and editor at New West magazine, then became restaurant editor at Los Angeles Times in Los Angeles, California (1984–1993) and food editor and critic at Los Angeles Times in Los Angeles, California (1990–1993). The throughline was not a single beat but a method: move between kitchen, dining room, and page, and let each sharpen the other. In 1993, Ruth Reichl took that method to New York as restaurant critic at The New York Times in New York City, New York (1993–1999), where the position sat at the highest-profile level of the city’s dining criticism. She then became editor-in-chief at Gourmet magazine (1999–2009), shaping the magazine through a period when food writing widened in scope and tone. Later, she served as judge at Top Chef Masters (2011–2013), applying the same editorial judgment in a competition setting. Today she is publisher of a food-writing newsletter of Substack (since 2021), continuing to write in a format that keeps the work immediate and reader-facing.
Where They Are Now
She has served as editor in chief at Gourmet. That chapter remains a defining part of her career, showing the point where editorial judgment and restaurant experience met in the same role.
Signature
Ruth's signature dishes include The Cake That Cures Everything. The title does the work here: direct, domestic, and built around the idea that food can carry memory, comfort, and interpretation without needing to announce itself as anything more elaborate.
In Their Words “Food has always been my way of seeing the world. I have always looked at the world food-first.” That outlook threads through Ruth Reichl’s work from Swallow Restaurant in Berkeley, California to New West magazine, from Los Angeles Times in Los Angeles, California to The New York Times in New York City, New York, and onward to Gourmet, Top Chef Masters, and Substack. It is a practical way of reading culture: start with the plate, then keep going.
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of Ruth
What is Ruth Reichl's current role?
As of 2026, Ruth Reichl is Restaurant critic.
Where did Ruth Reichl train or study?
Ruth Reichl trained at University of Michigan.
What recognition has Ruth Reichl received?
James Beard Foundation Awards.
