In the past, food critics paid for their meals and were reimbursed by the newspaper/magazine. And most mainstream media food critics would go to exceptional ends to keep their identity secret. Their critique of the food would be unmarred by any special treatment from the restaurant chef or staff. End of story. But today everyone's a food critic, and with the rise in social media sites like Twitter, Facebook, Foursquare, and more, their reviews can be broadcast far and wide. Food critic anonymity has gone out the window with one Google search. Recently, Time.com food critic, Josh Ozersky was dressed down by the Village Voice* NYT for not revealing in a column in which he extolled the benefits of having fancy chefs catering your wedding that the caterers at his wedding were doing so for free. The recent FTC rulings mandate that bloggers disclose when they're reviewing something they're not paid for, but those rules don't extend to bloggers operating under the leaky umbrella of a corporate parent. In the proposed panel, Jane Goldman, editor in chief of CHOW.com, one of the most popular food websites, will bring some of the most influential people in the food industry and discuss this growingly important issue in food journalism. This panel will call out the spectrum of professionalism in online and offline food journalism and the issue around transparency reverberates through all aspects of online journalism and blogging.
Ben Leventhal is the Executive Editor of TheFeast.com, NBC Universal's new digital lifestyle property. Previously, he was the founder and editor in chief of Eater.com, the largest independent restaurant news website on the web, and the Editorial Director of Curbed.com. He's
consulted on web properties for myriad media companies, such as IAC, where he was on the launch team of VeryShortList; and DailyCandy, for whom he was a longtime contributor. Recipient of a Food & Wine Tastemaker Award in 2006, he's written for and been featured in publications that include the NY Times, Details, NY Magazine, Food & Wine, and Departures. Someday he'll write a cookbook, but first he has to learn how to cook.
Chef James Holmes is the owner of Olivia, named one of the “Top 10 Best New Restaurants in America” by Bon Appétit magazine. A graduate of the University of Oklahoma and The Institute of Culinary Education, Holmes began his career working in restaurants in New Mexico, New York City and France. Chef Holmes lives in Austin, Texas with his wife and their two daughters.
Now it's CBS Interactive. Before that it was CHOW. Before that it was the Industry Standard. And before that, I don't talk about.
A freelance food writer since 2002, Marcia Gagliardi is perhaps best known in the San Francisco food community as “the tablehopper.” Her cheeky weekly e-column, archived on www.tablehopper.com, is chock-full of insider news and gossip about the San Francisco restaurant and bar scene, covering what’s hot, opening or closing, along with restaurant reviews, culinary events, and even star sightings in bars and restaurants.
The five-year-old tablehopper column was voted “Most Obsessive Restaurant Informant” by 7x7 magazine, and San Francisco magazine’s Best of the Bay Area 2008–2010: Reader’s Choice for “Best Scoop on Food” and “Best e-newsletter.” Marcia has appeared on Playboy TV on Naked Happy Girls—San Francisco (in her clothes, mind you); Oprah & Friends: The Gayle King Show; the Rachael Ray Show; the Martha Stewart Living Today radio show; Michael Krasny’s Forum; plus mentions in The Wall Street Journal, Real Simple Travel, San Francisco Chronicle, Condé Nast Traveller, Daily Candy, and CHOW.com.
In March 2010, Marcia released a groundbreaking restaurant guidebook, The Tablehopper’s Guide to Dining and Drinking in San Francisco: Find the Right Spot for Every Occasion with Ten Speed Press. www.tablehopper.com/book
In February 2011, Marcia launched www.deepdishing.com, a brand-new website and forum for diners to share reviews and pictures of their favorite dishes at local restaurants, along with insider tips, recommendations, and more.
