People love food, explore new food, and love to share those experiences with others. Imagine making a living sharing those experiences.
Jonathan Gold, writer for L.A. Weekly and Gourmet does just that and has successfully adapted to the changes with his writing.
With all of the recent focus on reality cooking shows such as Top Chef and The Restaurant, newspaper writers such as Gold who should be worried about their careers understands, embraces, and adapts to the hype.
"Cutting edge of change comes from restaurants because things are trendy," says Gold with a chuckle.
Gold's articles such as
Relighting the Fire: The Return Of Renu Nakorn are descriptive, in-depth articles that capture the senses of all who read them which gives him the upper hand on these popular shows.
"There's something about sharing food and hospitality that brings you closer to people," claims Gold. "My articles have readers smell what I smell, taste what I taste, and hear what I hear, which is more than a T.V. can say."
Since the world of food is ever-changing, so is Gold's work.
At the start of his career, Gold focused on upper-class restaurants and has turned his focus onto writing more intimate pieces involving food, revolutionizing the way we look at food in its entirety.
His book entitled
Counter Intelligence: Where to Eat in the Real Los Angeles explores and introduces readers into the unknown world of ethnic restaurants within the city.
The latest piece Gold is working on is a piece about farmer working in CommunalGardens that are centered in the dangerous city of Watts which has the highest crime rating in L.A.
"I'm more focused now on farmers, than critiquing food."
The piece centers on 50 Mexican American plots that are growing organic foods ranging from 17 types of chard to medicinal herbs.
"It's changing the city from the inside out" explained Gold, referring to the gardens. "It is the most marvelous Mexican produce I've ever seen. It makes the Farmer's Market in Santa Monica look crude."
When he is not changing the way we look at food in all of its glory, Gold is just an ordinary married man with two kids who actually cooks utilizing his massive collection of 5,000 cookbooks.
"I am obsessed with cooking, I cook every night."
Gold who refers to himself as "Old School" when it comes to writing has been working for L.A. Weekly since 1982 when he started out as a proofreader. He then began writing and turned into one of the most prominent and popular writers.
"I feel like I should be writing about the Supreme Court," said Gold, but when it comes to writing food "I was accidentally good at it."
Good at it is an understatement.
In 2007, Gold was the first restaurant critic to win a Pultizer Prize for criticism.
"I am proud to be the only reporter to win a Pultizer Prize for reporting on doughnuts."