Jonathan Gold
Encyclopedia
Jonathan Gold is a food critic who currently writes for LA Weekly
and used to write for Gourmet magazine. In 2007 he became the first such critic to win the Pulitzer Prize
. He is also a regular on KCRW
's Good Food radio program.
Gold often chooses small, ethnic restaurants for his reviews, although he covers all types of cuisine. A collection of his articles can be found in his book, Counter Intelligence: Where to Eat in the Real Los Angeles. He is married to Laurie Ochoa who used to be editor-in-chief at LA Weekly
.
Gold started out at the L.A. Weekly in 1982 as a proofreader while he was studying art and music at UCLA, and by the mid-’80s became one of the paper’s most popular writers. He’s had several jobs at the Weekly over the years, from caption guru to editor of several of the paper’s Best of L.A. issues. As music editor in the ’80s, he wrote groundbreaking pieces about new-music composers, thrash metal and the L.A. rap scene just as it was going national: Boulez, Metallica and N.W.A. But restaurant criticism is where he really captured people’s imagination in the city. With the encouragement of Weekly founder Jay Levin, he started his Counter Intelligence column in 1986 as a way of exploring Los Angeles’ ethnic neighborhoods, places that often go underreported in other papers. He took the column to the L.A. Times from 1990 to 1996, all the while writing “proper” restaurant reviews of high-end places in California and Los Angeles magazines, as well as music stories for Blender, Spin, Rolling Stone and Details. In 1999, he left Los Angeles to become Gourmet magazine’s New York restaurant critic and was the first food writer to be honored as a National Magazine Award finalist in criticism by the American Society of Magazine Editors. In 2001, he moved back to Los Angeles, where he revived Counter Intelligence for the Weekly while continuing to write for Gourmet.
“This is a sweet victory on so many levels,” said editor in chief Laurie Ochoa, who has been married to Gold since 1990 (they met at the Weekly in 1984). “I love that even as Jonathan established a national reputation, he continued to call the Weekly home.”
“We are very honored to win our first Pulitzer and very proud of Jonathan Gold,” said L.A. Weekly publisher Beth Sestanovich. “Our criticism of the arts, music scene, film and, of course, food and drink has been acknowledged by many other awards over the years, and we are thrilled to add a Pulitzer to that list.”
“Alternative papers are beginning to get the respect they’ve earned,” Lacey told the Associated Press on Monday. “If I had cigars, I’d be passing them out right now.”
“What this represents,” said Gold, “is the triumph of the proofreader.”
-based non-profit organization Heal the Bay
.
LA Weekly
LA Weekly is a free weekly tabloid-sized "alternative weekly" in Los Angeles, California. It was founded in 1978 by Editor/Publisher Jay Levin and a board of directors that included actor-producer Michael Douglas...
and used to write for Gourmet magazine. In 2007 he became the first such critic to win the Pulitzer Prize
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
. He is also a regular on KCRW
KCRW
KCRW is a public radio station broadcasting from the campus of Santa Monica College in Santa Monica, California, carrying a mix of National Public Radio news, talk radio and freeform music format. The general manager of KCRW is Jennifer Ferro...
's Good Food radio program.
Gold often chooses small, ethnic restaurants for his reviews, although he covers all types of cuisine. A collection of his articles can be found in his book, Counter Intelligence: Where to Eat in the Real Los Angeles. He is married to Laurie Ochoa who used to be editor-in-chief at LA Weekly
LA Weekly
LA Weekly is a free weekly tabloid-sized "alternative weekly" in Los Angeles, California. It was founded in 1978 by Editor/Publisher Jay Levin and a board of directors that included actor-producer Michael Douglas...
.
Gold started out at the L.A. Weekly in 1982 as a proofreader while he was studying art and music at UCLA, and by the mid-’80s became one of the paper’s most popular writers. He’s had several jobs at the Weekly over the years, from caption guru to editor of several of the paper’s Best of L.A. issues. As music editor in the ’80s, he wrote groundbreaking pieces about new-music composers, thrash metal and the L.A. rap scene just as it was going national: Boulez, Metallica and N.W.A. But restaurant criticism is where he really captured people’s imagination in the city. With the encouragement of Weekly founder Jay Levin, he started his Counter Intelligence column in 1986 as a way of exploring Los Angeles’ ethnic neighborhoods, places that often go underreported in other papers. He took the column to the L.A. Times from 1990 to 1996, all the while writing “proper” restaurant reviews of high-end places in California and Los Angeles magazines, as well as music stories for Blender, Spin, Rolling Stone and Details. In 1999, he left Los Angeles to become Gourmet magazine’s New York restaurant critic and was the first food writer to be honored as a National Magazine Award finalist in criticism by the American Society of Magazine Editors. In 2001, he moved back to Los Angeles, where he revived Counter Intelligence for the Weekly while continuing to write for Gourmet.
“This is a sweet victory on so many levels,” said editor in chief Laurie Ochoa, who has been married to Gold since 1990 (they met at the Weekly in 1984). “I love that even as Jonathan established a national reputation, he continued to call the Weekly home.”
“We are very honored to win our first Pulitzer and very proud of Jonathan Gold,” said L.A. Weekly publisher Beth Sestanovich. “Our criticism of the arts, music scene, film and, of course, food and drink has been acknowledged by many other awards over the years, and we are thrilled to add a Pulitzer to that list.”
“Alternative papers are beginning to get the respect they’ve earned,” Lacey told the Associated Press on Monday. “If I had cigars, I’d be passing them out right now.”
“What this represents,” said Gold, “is the triumph of the proofreader.”
Family
Jonathan Gold is the older brother of Mark Gold, who is the president of the Santa MonicaSanta Mônica
Santa Mônica is a town and municipality in the state of Paraná in the Southern Region of Brazil.-References:...
-based non-profit organization Heal the Bay
Heal the Bay
Heal the Bay is a U.S. environmental advocacy non-profit organization based in Santa Monica, California.Heal the Bay is dedicated to protecting California's Santa Monica Bay, a region of the Pacific coast encompassed by Malibu's Point Dume on the north and the Palos Verdes Peninsula on the south...
.