Perks of Being a Food Writer

If you are enrolled in a culinary arts program online you may be wondering how to jumpstart your career. It can be hard to get the job of your dreams right off the bat, but there is a simple way for you to share your food knowledge with the world. Food writing as a career or a hobby is becoming more prevalent with the help of the Internet. There are a variety of ways for you to share your food journey with interested people as you gain experience and get closer to your dream job. Here is some insight into the profession:

Becoming a food writer
Explore the world – Monica Bhide, an accomplished food writer, sat down with Forbes to share her experience. Her advice for getting into the writing field is to start tasting, learning about and smelling tons of food. Additionally, she says it is important to read as much food literature as possible so you understand different cultures and multiple cuisines. Then start writing – if you want to create a blog, just do it. If you have your sights set on a book, begin drafting the manuscript.

Learning from experiences – Throughout your time as a food writer, you are sure to come into contact with various people in the culinary arts industry. It’s important to try and learn something from each person so you become more well rounded. For example, if one person talks about the history of a regional food try to use that as a foundation to learn more about that item and incorporate it in your writing.

Perks
Awards – Food writing is so popular there is even an awards ceremony based off the profession. The International Association of Culinary Professionals has just announced its 2014 food writing finalists. There is a cookbook category that celebrated the “Ivan Ramen” and “I Love New York” publications. In the journalism award category, Saveur, Tasting Table and Food & Wine all were finalists for a variety of awards.

Complimentary meals – Sometimes food writers get free meals. Restaurant owners do this for the free publicity your post will produce for them. However, it is important to write your honest opinion about the eatery whether your meal is free or not.

Local fame – If you live in a foodie town and your column, blog or book has become popular, you can become a local celebrity. People will appreciate your contribution to the food industry and will respect your opinion if you dish out smart food information.