Tejal Rao
Hello! I'm a food critic for The New York Times living in Los Angeles.
I've written about California bagels, oysters, mall pizza, fake foods, a day in the life of a halal cart vendor, how Kit Kat flavors are born in Japan and new developments in the world of vegan cheese (I'm an omnivore by trade, but I started the newsletter The Veggie to celebrate the endless pleasures of vegetarian food). I occasionally write obituaries, appraisals and other kinds of pieces, but my focus is on food culture and restaurants, like Nobu Malibu and Poncho's Tlayudas. I keep a list of 25 favorites here.
I've won two James Beard Foundation Awards for restaurant criticism and a Vilcek Prize in creative promise. I was previously a restaurant critic at The Village Voice and at Bloomberg News, and have also worked as an editor, translator, copy editor and cook. I was born in London to East African-Asian and Indian parents and raised there, Paris, Kuwait, Khartoum and Atlanta. The best way to reach me is by email: [email protected]
＼＿ﾍ(◕‿◕✰)
I've written about California bagels, oysters, mall pizza, fake foods, a day in the life of a halal cart vendor, how Kit Kat flavors are born in Japan and new developments in the world of vegan cheese (I'm an omnivore by trade, but I started the newsletter The Veggie to celebrate the endless pleasures of vegetarian food). I occasionally write obituaries, appraisals and other kinds of pieces, but my focus is on food culture and restaurants, like Nobu Malibu and Poncho's Tlayudas. I keep a list of 25 favorites here.
I've won two James Beard Foundation Awards for restaurant criticism and a Vilcek Prize in creative promise. I was previously a restaurant critic at The Village Voice and at Bloomberg News, and have also worked as an editor, translator, copy editor and cook. I was born in London to East African-Asian and Indian parents and raised there, Paris, Kuwait, Khartoum and Atlanta. The best way to reach me is by email: [email protected]
＼＿ﾍ(◕‿◕✰)
BOOKS
My work was included in these anthologies
- Women on Food
edited by Charlotte Druckman
(Rizzoli, 2019)
- The Good Immigrant USA
edited by Chimene Suleyman and Nikesh Shukla
(Little Brown, 2019)
-The Best American Food Writing 2019
edited by Samin Nosrat
(Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2019)
- The Best American Food Writing 2018
edited by Ruth Reichl
(Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2018)
My work was included in these anthologies
- Women on Food
edited by Charlotte Druckman
(Rizzoli, 2019)
- The Good Immigrant USA
edited by Chimene Suleyman and Nikesh Shukla
(Little Brown, 2019)
-The Best American Food Writing 2019
edited by Samin Nosrat
(Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2019)
- The Best American Food Writing 2018
edited by Ruth Reichl
(Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2018)
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