Are you interested in expressing your passion for food, but don’t know where to start? Never fear, dear reader — Dianne Jacob, Oakland resident and author of Will Write for Food: The Complete Guide to Writing Cookbooks, Blogs, Reviews, Memoir, and More, is here to help. Today, she will answer the pressing question: “How can I get started in food writing if I have no formal background?”

As a culinary career coach, Jacob brings to the table an extensive background in writing, editing and teaching. Her work has appeared in Writer’s Digest, The San Francisco Chronicle, Gastronomica, Sunset, Salon.com, and a host of other media outlets, and she teaches classes at the local writing organization, The Writing Salon. To learn more about Dianne and hear her ongoing advice for food writers, visit her blog dedicated to the art and craft of food writing or follow her on Twitter under @diannej. ... Read the rest of Will Write for Food: An Interview with Dianne Jacob on The Culinary Life.

Permalink | Posted in Food Writing on Mar/Mon/2011
Post tags: dianne jacob, food writing, interviews, will write for food
© Stephanie Stiavetti for Wasabimon!, 2011.

Just a quick update to let my beloved readers know what else I’ve been up to — I have regular blogging gigs at Bay Area Bites and The Huffington Post. Here are some other articles I’ve written. Please check them out!

Bay Area Bites:

• The American Grilled Cheese Kitchen
• Nibblers Eatery: A Deep East Bay Oasis
• Ring In the New Year with Gluten-Free Booze!
• The Best Bay Area Gluten-Free Pizzas

The Huffington Post

• Avoiding Airport and Airline Food
• Roast Chestnuts: A Perfect Winter Snack
• Gluten Free Cookies: Linzer Stars
• How To Cook A Perfect Turkey: 14 Essential Tips

Permalink | Posted in Food Writing on Jan/Sun/2011
Post tags:
© Stephanie Stiavetti for Wasabimon!, 2011.

The publishing industry is on its ear, but while book sales are lagging overall, sales of cookbook titles are on the rise. We could hypothesize about the ‘whys’ all day: people are broke and cooking at home more, American food culture has gained in momentum over the past decade, people are returning to a ‘back to basics’ way of eating that involves cutting out restaurants. Whichever theory you subscribe to, the facts are the same; cookbooks are as popular as ever.

With so many cookbooks titles on the market, which are worth their salt? I know I’ve stood at my local Borders and gawked at the rows upon rows of colorful spines within the culinary section, wondering which to pull down and flip through. When faced with a selection of hundreds to choose from, overwhelm sets in and I just give up and walk away.

For me, it always ends the same way: with the sense that there are just too many damn cookbooks in the world right now.

Thankfully, we’ve got a few pros to help us separate the wheat from the ass. Small specialty shops, such as Omnivore Books in San Francisco, are filled with more cookbook titles than any single large-scale chain bookstore can possibly hold. You might think that it would be more difficult to make a selection when confronted by literally thousands of cookbooks, but here you’d be wrong. Because in a store like this, you have a pro at hand who can walk you through the vast majority of the books before you.

Today we’ve got Samantha Tackeff back again, sharing with us her favorite cookbook selections. You might remember her from Food Blogger Spotlight a few weeks ago, where I introduced her and explained that she had the best job ever – she works at the afore mentioned Omnivore Books, where she spends her days getting up close and personal with more cookbooks than you can possibly imagine.

So if you’re like me and find yourself prostrate before a throng of cookbooks, gaping wildly and drooling on yourself in confusion, you’ll appreciate Sam’s advice about which are worth your pennies and ingredients. Some of her recommendations might surprise you.
... Read the rest of The Heartbreak of Cookbook Overwhelm on The Culinary Life.

Permalink | Posted in Food Writing, People, Reviews on Feb/Mon/2010
Post tags:
© Stephanie Stiavetti for Wasabimon!, 2010.

The first email I received in my inbox this morning brought the worst kind of bad news: an old, dear friend had died. After almost 70 years of good taste and resolute narrative, Conde Nast has decided to close Gourmet Magazine. Apparently the publisher was forced to choose between its two heavy-hitting food magazines, with Bon Appétit coming out on top.

The word heartbroken feels too feeble to describe the very real ache in my chest. I’ve lost something that I value so much – Gourmet has been my companion when I travel to strange places, and kept me company during many dark, dismal nights alone. It has been my most optimistic visitor through numerous weeks spent in the hospital, comforting me with possibility while I confront my own mortality.

Knowing that Gourmet might be gone makes me feel very, very lonely.

And it appears I’m not the only one; Conde Nast’s decision has caused an uproar throughout the food community. The Internet is foaming at the mouth with critical blog posts, from both heartbroken readers and shocked culinarians. One such post by Jane Black, which appeared on the Washington Post website, invites readers to share their thoughts and feelings on the loss of Gourmet. Mournful comments are mounting, and it’s clear that the death of this publication is very painful for readers.

Even the Twitter community is contributing to the melee, with the term “Gourmet” topping the site’s popular Trending Topics (not an easy feat to accomplish during these days of inane Twitter voracity). Grassroots Twitter “petitions” have already begun to surge with the help of users such as food writer Amy Sherman, which prompted the creation of a “Save Gourmet” Twitter account that bereaved readers can follow to drown their sorrows. Even Ruth Reichl issued a brief statement on the site, expressing her shock and sorrow. More from Reichl can be found on the LA Times website.

What are my thoughts? Here they are, and you’ll notice that I refuse to discuss the magazine in the past tense, perhaps out of a divine sense of optimism that Conde Nast will reconsider (or else I’m stuck in stage one of the Kübler-Ross grief cycle):

While many consider Gourmet the most pretentious of food magazines, those of us who revel in the art and craft of culinary literature love the magazine for its sheer quality of the written word. We inhale Gourmet’s long, sensual narratives and covet the intimate travel pieces that feel like they’re coming to us across the fireside from a close, articulate friend. Those of the more visual ilk savor the magazine’s food photography, produced by some of the industry’s best and brightest. The cover of the most recent issue – October 2009 – features a close-up of a red wine caramel apple that looks so fresh that at first glance I considered reaching right through that cover and taking a crunchy, sticky bite.

Gourmet’s loyal readers see past the stuffy label applied by those that don’t understand the literary world of culinary culture. We see accounts of old-world grandmas, recounting kitchen memories and sharing with us their great-grandmother’s recipes. We see stories about tiny, hole-in-the-wall restaurants, run by passionate immigrants who work sixteen hour days to celebrate their sheer love of traditional cooking. We see a world we can find nowhere else, where we can learn about Swiss cheese in Nesselnbach, road food in Illinois and a one-armed home chef who struggles with braising a chicken for guests. Does this sound pretentious to you? No, it sounds electric.

As I said in my comment on Jane’s WashingtonPost article, I can’t believe that Gourmet is going away, and in bittersweet solace, we’re left with Bon Appetit. While it is a fine publication in its own right, Bon Appétit does not contribute to our culinary culture (or couture) to the degree that Gourmet does.

While Conde Nast is continuing the brand, that’s little consolation to those of us – and there are MANY – that looked to Gourmet for inspiration as well as information, and no other outlet will provide a suitable stand-in. Not the Gourmet website, not Gourmet books, and certainly not Bon Appétit.

Gourmet feeds our hearts, our bodies, and our souls. I refuse to accept that my old friend is gone, and if I have to petition God himself for a recount, just give me his home address.

What are your feelings on Gourmet’s closing?

Edit: NPR’s Diana Abu-Jaber wrote a beautiful tribute that touched me. Please click to read, “More Than Just A Magazine, ‘Gourmet’ Says Goodbye.”

Permalink | Posted in Food Writing on Oct/Mon/2009
Post tags:
© Stephanie Stiavetti for Wasabimon!, 2009.

Hey everyone, I’m pleased to announce that my most recent article is up on NPR.org for Kitchen Window Online – Freezer Jam: A Baby Step To Canning. Please check it out and leave a comment letting me know what you think!

Permalink | Posted in Breakfast, Desserts, Food Writing on Sep/Wed/2009
Post tags:
© Stephanie Stiavetti for Wasabimon!, 2009.

I’m very excited to be a guest blogger on Monica Bhide’s blog, A Life of Spice. Check out my post about her Beef Stew with Coconut recipe, just one of my favorites from her new book, Modern Spice: Inspired Indian Flavors for the Contemporary Kitchen. Please leave a comment on the post and say hello!

Permalink | Posted in Food Writing, Middle Eastern on Sep/Fri/2009
Post tags:
© Stephanie Stiavetti for Wasabimon!, 2009.