2019 - Summer

EAT NYC: Food Reporting and Writing (Session 2)

Course Number: SS2: JOUR-UA 204.003

Day & Time: T/R 3:00-6:00pm

Location: 20 Cooper Square

Instructor: Mayukh Sen

Albert Class Number: 4659

“Food, it appeared, could be important. It could be an event. It had secrets.”
― Anthony Bourdain

It’s an exciting time to be a food journalist. The field is incredibly dynamic, due to both the nature of digital media and shifting cultural mores. A vividly-written recipe column can give you ideas for what to cook for dinner tonight; an evocative restaurant review can tell you where to go for brunch.

But there’s more to food journalism than recipes and restaurant reviews. Food isn’t just a fluffy diversion. The above quote from the late Anthony Bourdain captures the ethos of this class: Food deserves to be taken seriously. Food has many stories to tell.

Over six weeks this summer, you’ll immerse yourself in food journalism’s many forms. These include the aforementioned recipes and restaurant reviews; personal essays; profiles of chefs, cookbook authors, growers, service workers who bring food to our plates; long-form pieces on food history. You’ll figure out how to package stories visually, too, an essential skill in our digital age. Guest speakers will include some of the most important voices working in food journalism. Together, we’ll explore our city; New York City itself provides a wealth of food stories waiting to be written.

By the end of the class, you’ll be in a position to confidently pitch the story you’re proudest of to a publication. Whether you’d like to pursue food journalism as a career or merely get your feet wet in it, you’ll fare well if you bring eagerness and a dose of healthy journalistic skepticism to every story you encounter. And you must have a good appetite.