Food critics may have experience working as a chef.
There are many paths to becoming a food critic, but two elements are always involved: loving food (and often wine) and loving writing. While some people can orally review restaurants, most will need to write and write well about the foods they try. Exactly how people get to specialization in writing and food knowledge can be different and perhaps no two critics are the same in this regard.
Food critics can write a column for a local newspaper.
Both of these topics tend to require study or experience, and we strongly recommend that people focus first on learning to write well. They could do this as journalists or college literature graduates. Journalism can be more practical since many critics write for newspapers or magazines.
The phrase “write what you know” means that people need to develop an understanding of food: how to taste it, how it’s made, when it’s different from traditional recipes. Knowing how restaurants operate is also vital, as restaurant food reviews will include an assessment of atmosphere, organization, and service. It’s a good idea to read the work of other food critics, especially some of the classic works by writers like MFK Fisher, but this won’t be adequate preparation for becoming a food critic.
Food critics can criticize different combinations of coffee.
Instead, many people learn to cook, work in restaurants, manage or co-own them, or alternatively, they can study at a cooking school. Schools like the French Culinary Institute in New York City have food journalism programs. Unless a person has worked in the restaurant industry for some time, this program may be a good investment. They can pursue other studies, such as classes on how to properly taste wine, food and wine garnishes, and chocolate tasting.
Food critics can focus on different wine pairings for gourmet meals.
Even with this training, it’s not always possible to become a food critic or get paid for it. Some will be successful at this if they get a job with a magazine or newspaper that has a food section. People tend to think of magazines like Gourmet as great places to work, but jobs can be extremely competitive. If a person can’t get a job at one of the most coveted food magazines, he should try to work at small or local travel magazines where he can build a reputation. Knowing the owners and chefs of local restaurants can also be helpful, as they may request a review.
Another way is to open a food review website and just write. Use restaurant ads or Google ads to finance it. If the writing is good and the site starts getting links, it could end up raising the profile. While this is an unorthodox way to become a food critic, web writing is increasingly replacing magazines and could be the wave of the future for literate foodies.