James Beard Award winner
Todd Kliman
- Discipline
- James Beard Award winner
Portrait of Todd Kliman
i. Biography
As an author and freelance writer, Todd Kliman works across appetite, reporting, and criticism, bringing the tools of food journalism to bear on plates, rooms, and the culture around them. The line between observation and argument is where his writing lives: the prose is clean, the read is sharp, and the perspective is built from close attention rather than flourish. In 2005, he won the James Beard Award for writing, a recognition that places Todd Kliman squarely in the serious end of the trade. His own public shorthand is as direct as his byline: “A new piece of mine is OUT!”
At a Glance - Food and wine editor and restaurant critic — *The Washingtonian* - Author and freelance writer — Washington, D.C. - James Beard Award, writing, 2005 - Verbatim voice: “A new piece of mine is OUT!”
Signature
Todd's signature dishes include The Wild Vine and The Perfect Chef. The names point to a writer interested in the expressive side of dining, where a dish can register as more than a dish and a line can do the work of a paragraph. Read as part of Todd Kliman's body of work, they mark a practice shaped by attention to flavor, form, and the narratives food can hold.
In Their Words “A new piece of mine is OUT!” Taken together, these lines show a writer who understands pace and register: the room to work at length, and the force of a short announcement when the piece lands. Todd Kliman's public voice stays polished without losing immediacy, which is part of why his work reads with authority and a clear point of view.
FAQ Who is Todd Kliman? He is a food and wine editor and restaurant critic at *The Washingtonian* and an author and freelance writer in Washington, D.C. What is Todd Kliman known for? He won the James Beard Award for writing in 2005. Where does Todd Kliman work? He works at *The Washingtonian*.
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