Last year, when I spoke to filmmaker Mark Kurlyandchik after he won a James Beard Media Award for the documentary Coldwater Kitchen, I asked how the former Hour Detroit intern-turned-senior editor and Detroit Free Press food critic got started writing about food. His answer was one of the oldest in the book: You write what you know.
This year’s Best New Restaurants feature (our first in two years) is written by four talented food writers with a variety of backgrounds and experience. I thought it would be fun to ask them the same question I asked Mark, plus a few more food questions that have been on my mind.
How did you get into food writing?
Dorothy Hernandez: When I was a copy editor at The Detroit News, I expressed an interest in food so they let me blog about my cooking adventures in the kitchen. Ever since then, wherever I worked, I’d raise my hand to write about food in addition to my editing responsibilities.
Danny Palumbo: I worked in kitchens as a line cook for many years, and I loved writers like Anthony Bourdain and Gabrielle Hamilton while in college. Eventually, I decided to marry my passion for food and good writing in Los Angeles, where Jonathan Gold’s influence was felt everywhere.
Michelle Kobernick: As a trained chef, it was always my dream to write about food and restaurants one day. A few years ago, I earned a master’s certificate in food writing and photography from the University of South Florida. I was first published as a student, which was really encouraging. I’ve been writing for several Detroit-based publications since then and am loving it.
Jack Thomas: I have a hard-news ethos but ended up falling into food writing at Hour Detroit. I have worked in restaurants off and on since I was about 15. It’s an industry I continue to have a lot of reverence for. In some ways, the same things attract me to journalism — I need constant deadlines, fast pace, high stakes, and pressure to perform.
For any restaurant review, we look for exceptional food, ambiance, and service. Are they all equal?
JT: For me, the food always comes first — but it doesn’t mean that service and ambience aren’t important. What I really like is artistry — when a chef, sommelier, server, etc., is passionate about what they’re doing and you’re lucky enough to experience that as a diner. I am super forgiving on all fronts; that’s why we [the food writers] try to go at least a couple times before writing about a place.
What was the best menu item or meal you had this year at one of our best new restaurants?
MK: The creations by Coeur’s pastry chef, Carla Spicuzzi. They are creative and expertly prepared [and] evoke delicious childhood memories, only better than you remember.
As a restaurant critic, how do you handle reviewing food that you do not like to eat or cannot eat?
DH: I hate beets and goat cheese, and of course, these are often prepared together. I’ll taste it and look at how the dish is composed and how the flavors work together like any dish, because even though I can’t stand the taste of them, I can appreciate a well-crafted dish. But I always have other people with me to taste these dishes to help inform my opinion.
Danny, you’re new to Detroit. What sets Detroit’s dining scene apart from other cities’?
DP: It’s home to some of the best Middle Eastern food in the country, but also the connection between restaurants and diners here is really strong. … Find the great restaurants, visit them, revisit them, and then become regulars. They deserve your support.
To see what these writers thought about the 17 establishments that made our list of best new restaurants, check out our list of Best New Restaurants and Best New Casual Eateries.
Bon appétit!
This story originally appeared in the August 2024 issue of Hour Detroit magazine. To read more, pick up a copy of Hour Detroit at a local retail outlet. Our digital edition will be available on Aug. 6.
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