Tejal Rao
Hi! I'm the California restaurant critic for The New York Times and I live in Los Angeles.
I've won two James Beard Foundation awards for my restaurant criticism, been named one of Forbes Magazine's "30 Under 30," and my essays have been included in two editions of "The Best American Food Writing" (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt). In 2019, I was awarded a Vilcek Prize for my writing at the Times.
My family is East African-Asian and Indian. I was born in London and raised there, Paris, Kuwait, Khartoum and Atlanta. I was previously a critic at the Village Voice and Bloomberg News, but have held a range of writing, editing, copy editing and translation jobs. Before I was a journalist, I was a cook.
NEW!!
My weekly newsletter, focused on vegetarian home cooking, is called The Veggie.
＼＿ﾍ(◕‿◕✰)
I've won two James Beard Foundation awards for my restaurant criticism, been named one of Forbes Magazine's "30 Under 30," and my essays have been included in two editions of "The Best American Food Writing" (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt). In 2019, I was awarded a Vilcek Prize for my writing at the Times.
My family is East African-Asian and Indian. I was born in London and raised there, Paris, Kuwait, Khartoum and Atlanta. I was previously a critic at the Village Voice and Bloomberg News, but have held a range of writing, editing, copy editing and translation jobs. Before I was a journalist, I was a cook.
NEW!!
My weekly newsletter, focused on vegetarian home cooking, is called The Veggie.
＼＿ﾍ(◕‿◕✰)
WRITING
- On the History of California Barbecue
- On the Birria Boom
- On Veggie Burger Realness
- On the Clarification of Lao Cuisine
- On Better Fancy Vegan Cheeses
- On Bagels
- On Losing/Regaining my Sense of Smell
- On Hospitality
more recent clips here
- On the History of California Barbecue
- On the Birria Boom
- On Veggie Burger Realness
- On the Clarification of Lao Cuisine
- On Better Fancy Vegan Cheeses
- On Bagels
- On Losing/Regaining my Sense of Smell
- On Hospitality
more recent clips here
BOOKS
-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)
-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)
EMAIL
tejal.rao@nytimes.com
TWITTER
@tejalrao
INSTAGRAM
@tejalxrao
photo: radicchio del Veneto by Tony Cenicola (c) 2017 The New York Times
tejal.rao@nytimes.com
@tejalrao
@tejalxrao
photo: radicchio del Veneto by Tony Cenicola (c) 2017 The New York Times