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What is “food writing” but writing with food as the protagonist? Or perhaps food is the pretext for writing about family, adventure travel, science or social history?

Yes to any of the above.  And that’s what we’ll be exploring at Gateway Community College in New Haven where I have been invited back to teach Food Writing starting in January 2016. 

The 15 week course covers the personal food essay, restaurant reviewing, recipe writing and the blog. We host guest speakers throughout the term. A final project allows students to dig deeper into a subject they love. For a final project, one student became a stagaire at an Irish Pub where the chef cooks vegetarian meals.  Another explored the writing styles of Connecticut’s most well known restaurant reviewers. We learned about Puerto Rican adobo and the perspicacity of one Jamaican cook who was asked to prepare the family meal one time too many.  Layla Schlack, the executive editor of Fine Cooking Magazine came to speak to our group.  And we experienced the sense of taste and smell in a fun experimental class.

Here are two fun essays two member of the class agreed to share with me for this post.

The class is open to Gateway Community College students and anyone who care to join us.  The only prerequisite is a willingness to write. I am grateful to my first group of students, who stayed with it for the entire semester despite the record breaking snow.

Should this be of interest, contact Stephen Fries, Coordinator Hospitality Management Programs at Gateway. Call 203-285-2175 or email Stephen directly at sfries@gatewaycc.edu

And of course I’d be happy to answer questions or go into more detail. Please email me at