Amanda Hesser
Encyclopedia
Amanda Hesser is an American food writer, editor and cookbook author. She was the food editor of The New York Times Magazine
and the editor of T Living, a quarterly publication of The New York Times
.
, Pennsylvania
. After graduating with a degree in economics and finance from Bentley College
in 1993, she studied cooking in Europe. With a grant from Les Dames d'Escoffier
, she worked in bakeries and restaurants in Germany
, Switzerland
, Italy
and France
.
She spent two years in France
, where she worked for Anne Willan, the founder of Ecole de Cuisine La Varenne. It was during this time that Hesser's writings started appearing in newspapers and magazines, including The Washington Post
.
After finishing her first book, in 1997, Hesser was hired as a food reporter for The New York Times
. Hesser has since written about the influence of Costco
on the wine industry. She has uncovered the politics behind the New York City Greenmarket, and was among the first to publish a long-form article in a major American newspaper about Ferran Adria
of El Bulli
.
Early in her career at the paper, she wrote a controversial story in which she examined the failings of the popular chef Emeril Lagasse
.
Hesser applied for a buyout from the Times in late March 2008 and is no longer with the newspaper. She wrote her "Recipe Redux" feature for the Times magazine until February 27, 2011.
There is a chapter about her in Julie Powell
’s book Julie and Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen and appears as herself in the film adaptation
.
Hesser lives in Brooklyn Heights with her husband, Tad Friend
, a staff writer for The New Yorker
, and their two children.
The New York Times Magazine
The New York Times Magazine is a Sunday magazine supplement included with the Sunday edition of The New York Times. It is host to feature articles longer than those typically in the newspaper and has attracted many notable contributors...
and the editor of T Living, a quarterly publication of The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
.
Life and career
Hesser was born in DoylestownDoylestown, Pennsylvania
Doylestown is a borough in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, north of Philadelphia. As of the 2010 census, the borough population was 8,380. The borough is the county seat of Bucks County.- History :...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
. After graduating with a degree in economics and finance from Bentley College
Bentley College
Bentley University is a private co-educational university in Waltham, Massachusetts, west of Boston. Founded in 1917 as a school of accounting and finance in Boston's Back Bay neighborhood, Bentley moved to Waltham in 1968...
in 1993, she studied cooking in Europe. With a grant from Les Dames d'Escoffier
Les Dames d'Escoffier
Les Dames d'Escoffier is a society of professional women involved in the food, wine, and hospitality industries. It was founded in honor of Auguste Escoffier, whom Les Dames' mission statement credits with having "single-handedly brought the culinary art into the modern era." Escoffier "elevated...
, she worked in bakeries and restaurants in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
and France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
She spent two years in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, where she worked for Anne Willan, the founder of Ecole de Cuisine La Varenne. It was during this time that Hesser's writings started appearing in newspapers and magazines, including The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
.
After finishing her first book, in 1997, Hesser was hired as a food reporter for The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
. Hesser has since written about the influence of Costco
Costco
Costco Wholesale Corporation is the largest membership warehouse club chain in the United States. it is the third largest retailer in the United States, where it originated, and the ninth largest in the world...
on the wine industry. She has uncovered the politics behind the New York City Greenmarket, and was among the first to publish a long-form article in a major American newspaper about Ferran Adria
Ferran Adrià
Ferran Adrià i Acosta is a Catalan chef born on May 14, 1962 in L'Hospitalet de Llobregat. He was the head chef of the El Bulli restaurant in Roses on the Costa Brava, and is considered one of the best chefs in the world.-Career:...
of El Bulli
El Bulli
elBulli was a Michelin 3-star restaurant near the town of Roses, Catalonia, Spain, run by chef Ferran Adrià. The small restaurant overlooked Cala Montjoi, a bay on Catalonia's Costa Brava, and has been described as "the most imaginative generator of haute cuisine on the planet" and does a great...
.
Early in her career at the paper, she wrote a controversial story in which she examined the failings of the popular chef Emeril Lagasse
Emeril Lagasse
'Emeril John Lagasse is an American celebrity chef, restaurateur, television personality, and cookbook author. A regional James Beard Award winner, he is perhaps most notable for his Food Network shows Emeril Live and Essence of Emeril as well as catchphrases such as “Kick it up a notch!” and...
.
Hesser applied for a buyout from the Times in late March 2008 and is no longer with the newspaper. She wrote her "Recipe Redux" feature for the Times magazine until February 27, 2011.
There is a chapter about her in Julie Powell
Julie Powell
Julie Powell is an American author best known for her book Julie & Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen.- Biography :...
’s book Julie and Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen and appears as herself in the film adaptation
Julie & Julia
Julie & Julia is a 2009 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Nora Ephron starring Meryl Streep, Stanley Tucci, Amy Adams, and Chris Messina...
.
Hesser lives in Brooklyn Heights with her husband, Tad Friend
Tad Friend
Tad Friend is a staff writer for The New Yorker. His current focus of coverage is the entertainment industry, and he often writes the "Letter from California" for The New Yorker. His memoir, Cheerful Money: Me, My Family, and the Last Days of Wasp Splendor, was published by Little, Brown in...
, a staff writer for The New Yorker
The New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
, and their two children.
Books
- The Cook and the Gardener (W. W. Norton & Company, 1999)
- Cooking for Mr. Latte: A Food Lover's Courtship, with Recipes (W. W. Norton & Company, 2004) [Collected Food Diary columns she wrote from 2000-2002]
- Eat, Memory: Great Writers at the Table, a Collection of Essays from the New York Times (W. W. Norton & Company, 2009) [Edited 26 previously published essays]
- The Essential New York Times Cookbook: Classic Recipes for a New Century (W. W. Norton & Company, 2010)
Anthologized Works
- Women Who Eat (2003)
- Best Food Writing (2002, 2004)
- The Art of Eating (2004)
- Alone in the Kitchen with an Eggplant (2007)