#food-journalism

#food-journalism

I come from a restaurant family. My grandparents opened Henry's Hunan-the only Hunanese restaurant in the city at the time. Chinese food in San Francisco was largely American Chinese or Cantonese-inflected, so it was unusual to have this different region represented. I spent childhood Saturdays at the restaurant, making Shirley Temples, and helping seat people. I waited tables in college but never saw a career in the restaurant industry. I then worked in documentary film for many years.

Ashok Selvam's remarkable work tackling complex food narratives and engaging in enterprising reporting earned him the Jonathan Gold Local Voice Award at the 2025 James Beard Foundation Media Awards.

With the appointment of Ligaya Mishan and Tejal Rao as the new restaurant critics, the Times marks a significant shift in their restaurant review strategy.

Tejal: It's exactly that: dreamy and daunting. I have a running list of all the things I'm worried about, and my therapist is on vacation this week I'll save it for her!