How to Become a Food Critic for Restaurants

Food critics evaluate both food and service.

If you love to eat and enjoy all sorts of culinary experiences, then being a food critic can be a rewarding career. Food critics sample food, evaluate service and then write about their dining experience. Landing the job can be tough, as the jobs are highly competitive and, typically, only a few per community exist, except in larger cities with multiple publications. Having a degree in journalism helps, but it isn't mandatory.

Instructions

1. Educate yourself. Learn all you can about different types of cuisine, food ingredients, service styles and food-preparation techniques. Learn how to distinguish between different levels of service and understand what service standards are for each type of restaurant, food and service. Different rituals associated with food service exist at a fine dining restaurant than at a home-cooked diner. Take culinary classes or visit large, commercial kitchens to gain more information about food service and preparation. Hone your storytelling skills and learn to present the dining experience as a story that will interest and entertain your readers while maintaining accuracy and fairness.

2. Develop your food vocabulary. Practice writing about different types of food and expand the words you use to describe a culinary experience. Use words appropriately; understand the difference between broiling and grilling and the quality levels of a house brand versus a call brand. Start by studying cookbooks such as "The Joy of Cooking" or reference-style cookbooks. Read other food writers and culinary magazines, taking notes of the language that is used. Listen to cooking shows on television and pay special attention to food-preparation terms and what they mean.

3. Write food articles and reviews. Gain experience and build a portfolio by writing articles about food and restaurants for a variety of newspapers, magazines and online publications. Start your own blog if you can't write for others initially, so you can send samples of your work to prospective employers. Send queries about a variety of food and restaurant topics to publications that publish food articles, including to food industry trade magazines and journals. Make contacts and build relationships by meeting your deadlines, responding professionally to rewrite requests and providing all the necessary information for your stories.

4. Build your personal brand. Develop a reputation as a food writer by making connections, publishing in different media and establishing your expertise. Participate in conferences, speak at educational events and network with colleagues. Be timely, informative, cooperative and flexible in all your endeavors..

5. Contact publications that employ full-time restaurant reviewers. Send in proposals for the type of food critic column or feature you would like to write for them. Explain how you will fill a niche in their community and create reader interest for their publication. Provide them with samples of your work along with a topic budget for the first several reviews or columns you plan to write.

6. Publish your own reviews through blogs or a personal website. Create a website or a blog in which you review restaurants and food at your own pace and on your own deadlines. Monetize the site by posting ads or seeking sponsorships.

References

• Business Idea Library: How to Become a Food Critic
• Begin Culinary: Hows and Whys of Becoming a Food Critic
• CNN.com; Hungry? 10 Jobs That Let You Sample Food; Laura Morsch; December 2006

Resources

• FabJob.com: Become a Food Critic