Tejal Rao
Hi! I'm the California restaurant critic at The New York Times and a cooking columnist for The New York Times Magazine. I live in Los Angeles.
I've won two James Beard Foundation awards for restaurant criticism — one in 2013 for my work at the Village Voice, and one in 2016 for my work at Bloomberg News. In 2019, I was awarded a Vilcek Prize in creative promise for my reporting at the New York Times.
Ruth Reichl once called me a poet of food (!) and Madhur Jaffrey said that I don’t take any guff from anybody (!!). The best way to get in touch is via email: tejal.rao@nytimes.com.
I've won two James Beard Foundation awards for restaurant criticism — one in 2013 for my work at the Village Voice, and one in 2016 for my work at Bloomberg News. In 2019, I was awarded a Vilcek Prize in creative promise for my reporting at the New York Times.
Ruth Reichl once called me a poet of food (!) and Madhur Jaffrey said that I don’t take any guff from anybody (!!). The best way to get in touch is via email: tejal.rao@nytimes.com.
REVIEWS
Punjabi Dhaba in Bakersfield, NYT
Poncho's Tlayudas in Los Angeles, NYT
Cafe Ohlone in San Francisco, NYT
Old-School LA, NYT
REPORTING
How Kit Kat Got Big in Japan, NYTMag
On a Mister Softee Truck, NYT
Midwestern Indigenous Cuisines, NYT
New Food Magazines, NYT
ESSAYS
Mall Pizza, NYTMag
The Imperative Mood, NYTBR
Oysters, a Love Story, NYTMag
An Appetite for Anime, NYTMag
PROFILES
Diana Kennedy, NYT
Tiny Chef, NYT
Pim Techamuanvivit, NYT
Sameen Rushdie, NYT
COOKING
Panettone, NYT
Shrikhand, NYTMag
Pork Dumplings, NYTMag
Onion Pie, NYTMag
all recent clips here
Punjabi Dhaba in Bakersfield, NYT
Poncho's Tlayudas in Los Angeles, NYT
Cafe Ohlone in San Francisco, NYT
Old-School LA, NYT
REPORTING
How Kit Kat Got Big in Japan, NYTMag
On a Mister Softee Truck, NYT
Midwestern Indigenous Cuisines, NYT
New Food Magazines, NYT
ESSAYS
Mall Pizza, NYTMag
The Imperative Mood, NYTBR
Oysters, a Love Story, NYTMag
An Appetite for Anime, NYTMag
PROFILES
Diana Kennedy, NYT
Tiny Chef, NYT
Pim Techamuanvivit, NYT
Sameen Rushdie, NYT
COOKING
Panettone, NYT
Shrikhand, NYTMag
Pork Dumplings, NYTMag
Onion Pie, NYTMag
all recent clips here
BOOKS
My work was recently included in:
-The Best American Food Writing 2019
(Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2019)
- Women on Food
(Rizzoli, 2019)
- The Good Immigrant USA
(Little Brown, 2019)
- The Best American Food Writing 2018
(Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2018)
My work was recently included in:
-The Best American Food Writing 2019
(Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2019)
- Women on Food
(Rizzoli, 2019)
- The Good Immigrant USA
(Little Brown, 2019)
- The Best American Food Writing 2018
(Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2018)
PRESS
- speaking with Evan Kleiman on KCRW's Good Food
- press release from Sam Sifton in the New York Times
- details of my tasting process in Times Insider
- interviewed by Natalie Pattillo for Diaspora Co.
- story and video by the Vilcek Foundation
- interviewed by Rohan Kamicheril for Tiffin
- speaking with Evan Kleiman on KCRW's Good Food
- press release from Sam Sifton in the New York Times
- details of my tasting process in Times Insider
- interviewed by Natalie Pattillo for Diaspora Co.
- story and video by the Vilcek Foundation
- interviewed by Rohan Kamicheril for Tiffin
EMAIL
tejal.rao@nytimes.com
TWITTER
@tejalrao
INSTAGRAM
@tejalxrao
photo: Tony Cenicola (c) 2017 The New York Times
tejal.rao@nytimes.com
@tejalrao
@tejalxrao
photo: Tony Cenicola (c) 2017 The New York Times