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Amanda Hesser (born 1971) is an American food writer, editor, cookbook author and entrepreneur. Most notably, she was the food editor of ''
The New York Times Magazine ''The New York Times Magazine'' is an American Sunday magazine supplement included with the Sunday edition of ''The New York Times''. It features articles longer than those typically in the newspaper and has attracted many notable contributors. ...
'', the editor of '' T Living'', a quarterly publication of ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'', author of ''
The Essential New York Times Cookbook ''The Essential New York Times Cookbook'' is a cookbook published by W. W. Norton & Company and authored by former ''The New York Times'' food editor Amanda Hesser. The book was originally published in October 2010 and contains over 1,400 recip ...
'' which was a ''The New York Times'' bestseller, and co-founder and CEO of Food52.


Biography

After finishing her first book, in 1997, Hesser was hired as a food reporter for ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'' where she wrote more than 750 stories. While at the ''Times,'' Hesser wrote about the influence of
Costco Costco Wholesale Corporation (Trade name, doing business as Costco Wholesale and also known simply as Costco) is an American multinational corporation which operates a chain of membership-only Big-box store, big-box retail stores (warehouse c ...
on the wine industry, and how the Farmer Consumer Advisory Committee made decisions for the New York City Greenmarket. She was also among the first to write about
Ferran Adrià Ferran Adrià i Acosta (; born 14 May 1962) is a Spanish chef. He was the head chef of the ''El Bulli'' restaurant in Roses, Girona, Roses on the Costa Brava and is considered one of the best chefs in the world. He has often collaborated with h ...
of
El Bulli El Bulli () was a restaurant near the town of Roses, Catalonia, Spain, run by chef Ferran Adrià and driven by the culinary ideas of Albert Adrià. The restaurant overlooked Cala Montjoi, a bay on Catalonia's Costa Brava. It held three Michelin st ...
in a major American publication. Hesser was involved in two cases of conflict of interest while working at the ''Times''. In 2004, she awarded the restaurant Spice Market a three-star rating without disclosing that the year before, the restaurant's owner,
Jean-Georges Vongerichten Jean-Georges Vongerichten (; ; born in Alsace, France, on 16 March 1957) is a French chef.
, had provided a complimentary jacket blurb for her book ''Cooking for Mr. Latte''. In 2007, Hesser published a favorable review of ''Vegetable Harvest'' by
Patricia Wells Patricia Wells (born 5 November 1946 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin) is a cookbook author and teacher. Biography She divides her time between Paris and Provence. She is the author of numerous food-related books. Her book ''Patricia Wells at Home in Prov ...
, without noting that in 1999, Wells had provided a jacket blurb for Hesser's book ''The Cook and the Gardener''. In both cases, the ''Times'' subsequently pointed out the conflicts of interest with editors’ notes. While Hesser left the ''Times'' in March 2008 to focus on the development of Food52, she continued to write the "Recipe Redux" feature for the ''Times'' magazine until February 27, 2011. As co-founder and CEO of Food52, she has raised two rounds of investment from parties including Lerer Hippeau Ventures and Bertelsmann Digital Media Investments. Food52 has won numerous notable awards, including the
James Beard Foundation Award The James Beard Foundation Awards are annual awards presented by the James Beard Foundation to recognize chefs, restaurateurs, authors and journalists in the United States. They are scheduled around James Beard's May 5 birthday. The media award ...
for Publication of the Year (2012) and the International Association of Culinary Professionals Award for Best Website (2013). In February 2017, noting that 92 percent of the company was white, she and her co-founder Merrill Stubbs "issued a statement about the ways in which the company intended to redress a lack of racial equality in its workplace." By the following January, "they published a follow-up letter updating readers on the progress of their efforts, stating that their staff had been reduced to being 76 percent white." Hesser was featured in '' Food & Wines ''40 under 40'' list, was named one of the 50 most influential women in food by ''
Gourmet Gourmet (, ) is a cultural idea associated with the culinary arts of fine food and drink, or haute cuisine, which is characterized by refined, even elaborate preparations and presentations of aesthetically balanced meals of several contrasting, of ...
'' magazine, and had a cameo as herself in the film ''
Julie & Julia ''Julie & Julia'' is a 2009 American biographical comedy-drama film written and directed by Nora Ephron starring Meryl Streep, Amy Adams, Stanley Tucci, and Chris Messina. The film contrasts the life of chef Julia Child in the early years of her ...
''. Hesser lives in
Brooklyn Heights Brooklyn Heights is a residential neighborhood within the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The neighborhood is bounded by Old Fulton Street near the Brooklyn Bridge on the north, Cadman Plaza West on the east, Atlantic Avenue on the south, ...
with her husband,
Tad Friend Theodore Porter "Tad" Friend (born September 25, 1962) is a staff writer for ''The New Yorker'' who writes the magazine's "Letter from California". Life Born in Buffalo, New York, Friend was raised there and in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, where ...
, a staff writer for ''
The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...
'', and their two children.


Bibliography


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) ollected ''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) dited 26 previously published essays*''
The Essential New York Times Cookbook ''The Essential New York Times Cookbook'' is a cookbook published by W. W. Norton & Company and authored by former ''The New York Times'' food editor Amanda Hesser. The book was originally published in October 2010 and contains over 1,400 recip ...
: Classic Recipes for a New Century'' (W. W. Norton & Company, 2010) *''The Food52 Cookbook: 140 Winning Recipes from Exceptional Home Cooks'' ( William Morrow Cookbooks, 2011) *''The Food52 Cookbook, Volume 2: Seasonal Recipes from Our Kitchens to Yours'' (William Morrow Cookbooks, 2012) *''Food52 Genius Recipes: 100 Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook'' (
Ten Speed Press Ten Speed Press is a publishing house founded in Berkeley, California in 1971 by Phil Wood. Ten Speed Press was bought by Random House in February 2009 and is now part of their Crown Publishing Group division. History Wood worked with Barnes & ...
, 2015) *''Food52 Vegan: 60 Vegetable-Driven Recipes for Any Kitchen'' (Ten Speed Press, 2015) *''Food52 Baking: 60 Sensational Treats You Can Pull Off in a Snap'' (Ten Speed Press, 2015) *''Food52 A New Way to Dinner: A Playbook of Recipes and Strategies for the Week Ahead'' (Ten Speed Press, 2016) *''Food52 Mighty Salads: 60 New Ways to Turn Salad into Dinner'' (Ten Speed Press, 2017) *''Food52 Ice Cream and Friends: 60 Recipes and Riffs for Sorbets, Sandwiches, No-Churn Ice Creams, and More'' (Ten Speed Press, 2017) *''Food52 Any Night Grilling: 60 Ways to Fire Up Dinner (and More)'' (Ten Speed Press, 2018) *''Food52 Genius Desserts: 100 Recipes That Will Change the Way You Bake'' (Ten Speed Press, 2018)


eBooks

* "Food 52 Holiday Recipes & Party Planning Guide: A cookbook, instruction manual, and entertaining battle plan" ( Open Air Publishing, 2011)


Anthologized works

*''Women Who Eat'' (2003) *''Best Food Writing'' (2002, 2004) *''The Art of Eating'' (2004) *''Alone in the Kitchen with an Eggplant'' (2007)


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hesser, Amanda 1972 births Living people American food writers Women food writers Women cookbook writers People from Brooklyn Heights American women chief executives American company founders American women company founders International Association of Culinary Professionals award winners 21st-century American women