Things You'll Need:
- A computer
- A digital camera
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Step 1
Dine out often. People who write about food and restaurants for a living have a passion for eating out. They love all kinds of food, and they enjoy trying new places as well as old favorites.
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Step 2
Be a food adventurer. Step out of your comfort zone and try new things. Never heard of huitlacoche? Give it a try, you might love it.
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Step 3
Dine with other people. This way you can try many dishes, and get a range of opinions.
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Step 4
Immerse yourself in food writing. Regularly read restaurant reviews online and in newspapers; subscribe to food magazines like Saveur, Bon Appetite, Gourmet and Cook’s Illustrated. Read books about food.
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Step 5
Cook for yourself and try different techniques. You will better be able to identify flavors and quality when you have successfully made dishes yourself.
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Step 6
Start a food blog. Choose your focus and start writing. Whether you want to concentrate on restaurants in one geographical area (e.g. Chicago) or if you want to specialize on a particular cuisine (like sandwiches), start writing. Link to other food bloggers that you respect. After you have a good base level of material on your site, contact other food bloggers and ask them to link to yours. You will get more traffic that way.
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Step 7
Write reviews for other websites. Many websites want the public to write reviews for them, and they put a premium on quality writing. Though many don’t pay, you can gain experience and a reputation this way. Use your own name as your screen name--it will work as a byline.
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Step 8
Describe your experiences in detail. Use words that appeal to the senses when talking about the atmosphere and food. Descriptive words like "salty" "bitter" "creamy" and "lukewarm" convey more sensory detail than words like "tasty" or "nondescript".
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Step 9
Be candid, but be fair. Consider the kind of people the restaurant is trying to attract. If you are writing about a restaurant with a theme-park atmosphere, don’t be surprised if there are lots of noisy kids.
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Step 10
Practice taking appetizing pictures of food, and post them on your blog. When taking photos in a restaurant, turn the flash off so as not to bother other diners.
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Step 11
Once you have a portfolio of reviews online, look for ads online for freelance food reviewers. Send in a resume along with writing your clips.
