People frequently ask me what I want to be when I'm older, and recently I've narrowed my answer down to a food writer. Naturally, my friends assume this entails casually tasting food, critiquing other people's top dishes, and so on. But, I'm here to educate them on the wonderful world of a food writer, and explain to them what food writers really do on a daily basis.
For starters
First off, I'd like to address the false accusations of a food writer's life. Some people choose to believe that a food writer does one of two things: either sit at a desk all day and write about basic things like pizza and mac n' cheese, or eat at restaurants critiquing other people's foods. I hate to tell you you're wrong, but you are.
The Reality
On the daily, a food writer may write about delicious foods around the world, but it's so much more than that. Being a food writer allows you to explore the hidden treasures of the food world, educate people about food, and incorporate so many different skills that other jobs don't include.
For me, I've always known I loved to cook, but being a food writer instead of just a chef expands this interest. Not only can I write about recipes, I can write about food in a lifestyle setting, a news setting, and surround myself with other people who feel the same way about food.
Jobs
Another question that often comes up is wondering where I'd like to work. Although the writing industry is a hard one to leap into, there are definitely certain ways to navigate it. Writing for Spoon allows me to explore my writing abilities and examine whether or not this is the field I'd like to go into (which it is).
Companies like Food52, Bon Appétit, Food & Wine, Food Network, Martha Stewart's Living, and Saveur all have cooking-related magazines and websites that are much more than just cooking.
For an example, Living is all about the beauty of your home, but also incorporates wonderful recipes for the current season. On the other hand, Food Network is a cooking network, magazine, and website all totally revolving around food and video production. All of these companies have one thing in common—they all involve food writing.
What I've Concluded
As Amanda Hesser has said, it's important to experience all you can about the field you want to explore. I'm excited to continue my journey navigating through the food world—not only eating the awesome dishes I find, but writing and documenting all that I can inquire.
The food writing industry lets you write, explore, cook, devour, photograph, question, and thrive in the extremely creative world of food, and I hope I have the privilege of doing so.