Course Details

It seems like everyone wants to be a food-writer, so how can a journalist starting in this highly competitive market gain an edge? Until you can walk into a restaurant and get a free meal, there are plenty of other ways to build a portfolio of published food-related items. Each week, you'll receive an assignment with prototypes so you can see how it's been done before, and wisdom and tips from your instructor on how to go about completing the assignment.

By the end of class, students can expect to have:
A complete portfolio of publishable articles (including a news product or cooking tip; personal essay with recipe; a profile of a food personality; a restaurant review or roundup; the solution to a food-related mystery; a regional food feature; a food-related trend piece; and a cultural, travel, or holiday-oriented food feature); entree into the food-writing career you desire.

Admission requirements:
Students must have at least one year journalism experience. Please submit a letter of interest (including a brief work history) and a writing sample (2,000 words or less).

Instructor Bio

Kate Krader's Courses

Kate Krader is a senior editor at Food & Wine magazine. She has written about food on-staff at Family Circle in London and Good Food magazine, and was chief editor for the Look & Cook book series in France. Most recently, Kate managed the gourmet editorial section of the Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy web site, and was the senior editor at Williams-Sonoma Taste magazine. Kate has work published in Food & Wine, The New York Times Dining Out, and is a food columnist for San Francisco magazine. Kate has edited the cookbooks Cakewalk by Margaret Braun (Rizzoli), and Best of Taste II (Weldon Owen). She was a chef at La Metairie Restaurant in New York City and is a graduate of the French Culinary Institute in New York and La Varenne Cooking School in Paris.

Testimonials

The Food Writing Boot Camp helped me be more creative, confident, and proactive about my food-writing career, and armed me with great ideas and valuable contacts. -- Jessica Goldbogen, freelance food writer

"Being an established editor and journalist, I was skeptical about taking a "Boot Camp." However, the first night with teacher Kate Krader quickly dismissed any doubts I had. Her approach was simple and effective, her edits and advice were spot on and her thoughtful guidance and great connections put me in touch with a wealth of food experts and editors. Any writer?new or seasoned?would be so lucky to have a guide like Kate as they enter the food-writing market. " -- Kerstin Czarra, freelance writer and editor

"Food writer's boot camp was exactly what it was advertised to be: a nitty gritty, real world exercise with a lot of tough and varied exercises, taught by a someone who writes about food for money every day." -- Steve Lyle, chef & owner, Village, New York City