There is only one job that will marry your love for fine cuisine with your impressive written communication skills and cutting wit. Food critics live in the eye of the culinary storm and serve as the voice for the foodie community. Here are some steps you can take to get your foot in the door of this exciting field.
Culinary classes
While you don’t have to know exactly how food is prepared in order to judge its taste, the lingo of fine cuisine is essential to all food critics. If you don’t know important food terms, your writing will look amateur and uninformed. Also, having some technical knowledge will allow you to give constructive criticism to the restaurant owner looking to market and grow their customer base, so they don’t repeat their mistakes.
Experience
Building a portfolio of quality clips is a huge priority for aspiring food critics. You will most likely have to write for free until you prove your skills and knowledge. Contact foodie Websites and local newspapers to see if they have need for more food writers.
Industry knowledge
Gaining knowledge about the culinary business could also help your writing and could help you branch out into other types of writing, like news coverage on local businesses. Some culinary school classes specialize in the business side of the industry. You can also talk to local restaurateurs to gain inside perspective.
Eating adventurously
Picky eaters do not make great food critics. The best food critics are willing to try anything. When you go out to your favorite restaurants, start branching out by ordering menu items you haven’t tried before. This will help broaden your pallet.
Looking for jobs
Once you have enough experience and knowledge, look for paid positions with local print and Web publications. A lot of the job opportunities you will encounter will be freelance. However, if you can collect enough assignments, it is possible to make a decent living through freelance writing. It will also give you even more experience until a full-time position comes along.
