Jonathan Gold (July 28, 1960 – July 21, 2018) was an American food critic and music critic. He was for many years the chief food critic for the Los Angeles Times and also wrote for LA Weekly and Gourmet, in addition to serving as a regular contributor on KCRW's Good Food radio program. Gold often chose small, traditional immigrant restaurants for his reviews, although he covered all types of cuisine. In 2007, while writing for the LA Weekly, he became the first food critic to win the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.
In 1982, while studying art and music at UCLA, Gold began working at LA Weekly magazine as a proofreader.[1] He met his future wife Laurie Ochoa there, and the couple followed each other to later jobs at other publications.[2][3] By the mid-1980s, Gold was an editor in the Weekly's music section,[3] initially writing about classical music as well as hip-hop,[4] during which he covered the early days of gangsta rap, interviewing Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, and the other members of N.W.A.[2]
In 1986, with the reluctant support of Weekly founder Jay Levin,[1][5] Gold started his first food column "Counter Intelligence", reviewing under-the-radar restaurants in ethnic neighborhoods of Los Angeles.[3] The column eventually moved to the Los Angeles Times, where Gold worked from 1990 to 1996, while also writing reviews of more upscale restaurants for California and Los Angeles magazines, as well as music stories for Blender, Spin, Rolling Stone, and Details.[1][6] In 1999, he moved from Los Angeles to New York City to become a restaurant critic for Gourmet magazine.[2] His work at the magazine was twice picked as a finalist for the National Magazine Award in Criticism by the American Society of Magazine Editors.[7]
In 2001, when Ochoa was named editor of the Weekly, Gold also moved back to Los Angeles, reviving Counter Intelligence for the Weekly while continuing to contribute to Gourmet.[1][2] At the Weekly, he published a popular annual best-restaurants list, called Jonathan Gold's 99 Essential LA Restaurants; when he later moved back to the Times, the list expanded slightly to become Jonathan Gold's 101 Best Restaurants.[8]
In 2007, Gold became the first food critic to win the Pulitzer Prize;[9] the citation referenced his "zestful, wide ranging restaurant reviews, expressing the delight of an erudite eater."[10] In 2012, Gold returned to work at the Los Angeles Times,[11] succeeding S. Irene Virbila as chief food critic for the paper.[12] In 2017, he founded the paper's L.A. Food Bowl festival.[4] Over the course of his career, Gold won nine James Beard Foundation Awards for his writing.
Describing his work in the LAist, Megan Garvey wrote: "It would be difficult to overstate Gold's impact on the culture of food in Southern California. His reviews of L.A.'s restaurants drew international attention."[8]Anthony Bourdain described Gold as "the first guy to change the focus from white tablecloth restaurants to really cool little places in strip malls"—a subject for which Bourdain also became renowned.[8]
Gold was born in Los Angeles into a middle-class family as the eldest of three boys. His father was Jewish and worked as a probation officer, and his mother was a high school teacher and librarian who converted to Judaism. While a freshman at UCLA, he worked briefly at a kosher restaurant owned by Steven Spielberg's mother, Leah Adler. He married Laurie Ochoa, currently an editor at the Los Angeles Times[8] and former editor-in-chief of the LA Weekly; they had two children.[3][15]
Jonathan Gold's younger brother Mark Gold was the long-time president of the Santa Monica-based non-profit organization Heal the Bay[16] and then moved on to become associate director of UCLA's Institute of the Environment and Sustainability,[3] but now is an employee of the state of California in Sacramento at the Ocean Protection Council (OPC) as the executive director.
Death
In July 2018, Gold was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.[9] He died on July 21, 2018, at St. Vincent Medical Center in Los Angeles at the age of 57, a week before his 58th birthday.[17] His remains were interred at Hollywood Forever Cemetery, with the epitaph "Tacos Forever."[18]
On July 28, 2018—what would have been Gold's 58th birthday—several buildings and landmarks in Los Angeles were lit in gold as a tribute to his memory.[19] At the annual ceremony in April 2019, Gold was posthumously given his ninth career James Beard Foundation Award. In addition, the Foundation announced that they were renaming the annual Local Impact Award to the Jonathan Gold Local Voice Award, honoring “new writers who are telling stories of their cities and regions, just as Jonathan continually shone a light on his beloved Los Angeles.”
Bibliography
Gold, Jonathan (2000). Counter Intelligence: Where to Eat in the Real Los Angeles. LA Weekly Books. ISBN978-0-312-26723-0.
References
^ abcd"Jonathan Gold Wins Pulitzer Prize". L.A. Weekly. April 16, 2007. Retrieved July 23, 2018.
^ abcdeWells, Pete (July 21, 2018). "Jonathan Gold, Food Critic Who Celebrated L.A.'s Cornucopia, Dies at 57". The New York Times. Retrieved July 22, 2018.
^ abWilstein, Matt (May 3, 2018). "Why America's Best Food Critic Gave Up on Anonymity". The Daily Beast. Retrieved July 23, 2018.
^Kinney, Tulsa (July 2, 2018). "Out to the Galleries with Times Foodie Jonathan Gold – Artillery Magazine". Artillery Magazine. Retrieved July 22, 2018.
^Vaughn, Ben (February 12, 2016). "My Breakfast with Pulitzer Prize-Winning Restaurant Critic Jonathan Gold". The Daily Meal. Retrieved July 22, 2018.
^Groves, Emily (June 2007). "Gourmand About Town". American Journalism Review. Retrieved July 22, 2018.
^ abcdGarvey, Megan (July 21, 2018). . LAist. Archived from the original on July 24, 2018. Retrieved July 23, 2018.
^ ab. Washington Post. Archived from the original on July 22, 2018. Retrieved July 22, 2018.
^"Jonathan Gold of LA Weekly". The Pulitzer Prizes. Retrieved April 1, 2016.
^"Jonathan Gold rejoins The Times". Los Angeles Times. March 5, 2012. Retrieved July 23, 2018.
^Kang, Matthew; Elliott, Farley (July 21, 2018). "Jonathan Gold, LA Times restaurant critic and food writer, dead at 57". Eater LA. Retrieved July 23, 2018.
^Scott, A. O. (March 10, 2016). "Review: Tastes of Los Angeles in 'City of Gold'". The New York Times. Retrieved July 22, 2018.
^Adams, Sam (January 28, 2015). "Sundance 2015: 'City of Gold' documents eclectic Times critic Jonathan Gold". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 22, 2018.
Media related to Jonathan Gold at Wikimedia Commons
February 02, 2023
jonathan, gold, july, 1960, july, 2018, american, food, critic, music, critic, many, years, chief, food, critic, angeles, times, also, wrote, weekly, gourmet, addition, serving, regular, contributor, kcrw, good, food, radio, program, gold, often, chose, small,. Jonathan Gold July 28 1960 July 21 2018 was an American food critic and music critic He was for many years the chief food critic for the Los Angeles Times and also wrote for LA Weekly and Gourmet in addition to serving as a regular contributor on KCRW s Good Food radio program Gold often chose small traditional immigrant restaurants for his reviews although he covered all types of cuisine In 2007 while writing for the LA Weekly he became the first food critic to win the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism Jonathan GoldGold in 2015Born 1960 07 28 July 28 1960Los Angeles California U S DiedJuly 21 2018 2018 07 21 aged 57 Los Angeles California U S EducationUCLA BA Occupation s Food critic music criticSpouseLaurie Ochoa m 1990 wbr Children2Awards2007 Pulitzer Prize for Criticism Contents 1 Career 2 Personal life 2 1 Death 3 Bibliography 4 References 5 External linksCareer EditIn 1982 while studying art and music at UCLA Gold began working at LA Weekly magazine as a proofreader 1 He met his future wife Laurie Ochoa there and the couple followed each other to later jobs at other publications 2 3 By the mid 1980s Gold was an editor in the Weekly s music section 3 initially writing about classical music as well as hip hop 4 during which he covered the early days of gangsta rap interviewing Snoop Dogg Dr Dre and the other members of N W A 2 In 1986 with the reluctant support of Weekly founder Jay Levin 1 5 Gold started his first food column Counter Intelligence reviewing under the radar restaurants in ethnic neighborhoods of Los Angeles 3 The column eventually moved to the Los Angeles Times where Gold worked from 1990 to 1996 while also writing reviews of more upscale restaurants for California and Los Angeles magazines as well as music stories for Blender Spin Rolling Stone and Details 1 6 In 1999 he moved from Los Angeles to New York City to become a restaurant critic for Gourmet magazine 2 His work at the magazine was twice picked as a finalist for the National Magazine Award in Criticism by the American Society of Magazine Editors 7 In 2001 when Ochoa was named editor of the Weekly Gold also moved back to Los Angeles reviving Counter Intelligence for the Weekly while continuing to contribute to Gourmet 1 2 At the Weekly he published a popular annual best restaurants list called Jonathan Gold s 99 Essential LA Restaurants when he later moved back to the Times the list expanded slightly to become Jonathan Gold s 101 Best Restaurants 8 In 2007 Gold became the first food critic to win the Pulitzer Prize 9 the citation referenced his zestful wide ranging restaurant reviews expressing the delight of an erudite eater 10 In 2012 Gold returned to work at the Los Angeles Times 11 succeeding S Irene Virbila as chief food critic for the paper 12 In 2017 he founded the paper s L A Food Bowl festival 4 Over the course of his career Gold won nine James Beard Foundation Awards for his writing Describing his work in the LAist Megan Garvey wrote It would be difficult to overstate Gold s impact on the culture of food in Southern California His reviews of L A s restaurants drew international attention 8 Anthony Bourdain described Gold as the first guy to change the focus from white tablecloth restaurants to really cool little places in strip malls a subject for which Bourdain also became renowned 8 Gold was the subject of the 2015 documentary film City of Gold 13 which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival 14 Personal life EditGold was born in Los Angeles into a middle class family as the eldest of three boys His father was Jewish and worked as a probation officer and his mother was a high school teacher and librarian who converted to Judaism While a freshman at UCLA he worked briefly at a kosher restaurant owned by Steven Spielberg s mother Leah Adler He married Laurie Ochoa currently an editor at the Los Angeles Times 8 and former editor in chief of the LA Weekly they had two children 3 15 Jonathan Gold s younger brother Mark Gold was the long time president of the Santa Monica based non profit organization Heal the Bay 16 and then moved on to become associate director of UCLA s Institute of the Environment and Sustainability 3 but now is an employee of the state of California in Sacramento at the Ocean Protection Council OPC as the executive director Death Edit In July 2018 Gold was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer 9 He died on July 21 2018 at St Vincent Medical Center in Los Angeles at the age of 57 a week before his 58th birthday 17 His remains were interred at Hollywood Forever Cemetery with the epitaph Tacos Forever 18 On July 28 2018 what would have been Gold s 58th birthday several buildings and landmarks in Los Angeles were lit in gold as a tribute to his memory 19 At the annual ceremony in April 2019 Gold was posthumously given his ninth career James Beard Foundation Award In addition the Foundation announced that they were renaming the annual Local Impact Award to the Jonathan Gold Local Voice Award honoring new writers who are telling stories of their cities and regions just as Jonathan continually shone a light on his beloved Los Angeles Bibliography EditGold Jonathan 2000 Counter Intelligence Where to Eat in the Real Los Angeles LA Weekly Books ISBN 978 0 312 26723 0 References Edit a b c d Jonathan Gold Wins Pulitzer Prize L A Weekly April 16 2007 Retrieved July 23 2018 a b c d Goodyear Dana November 9 2009 The Scavenger The New Yorker ISSN 0028 792X a b c d e Wells Pete July 21 2018 Jonathan Gold Food Critic Who Celebrated L A s Cornucopia Dies at 57 The New York Times Retrieved July 22 2018 a b Wilstein Matt May 3 2018 Why America s Best Food Critic Gave Up on Anonymity The Daily Beast Retrieved July 23 2018 Kinney Tulsa July 2 2018 Out to the Galleries with Times Foodie Jonathan Gold Artillery Magazine Artillery Magazine Retrieved July 22 2018 Vaughn Ben February 12 2016 My Breakfast with Pulitzer Prize Winning Restaurant Critic Jonathan Gold The Daily Meal Retrieved July 22 2018 Groves Emily June 2007 Gourmand About Town American Journalism Review Retrieved July 22 2018 a b c d Garvey Megan July 21 2018 Beloved LA Food Critic Jonathan Gold Dies At 57 He Was Los Angeles In Many Ways LAist Archived from the original on July 24 2018 Retrieved July 23 2018 a b Jonathan Gold Pulitzer winning restaurant critic dies Washington Post Archived from the original on July 22 2018 Retrieved July 22 2018 Jonathan Gold of LA Weekly The Pulitzer Prizes Retrieved April 1 2016 Jonathan Gold rejoins The Times Los Angeles Times March 5 2012 Retrieved July 23 2018 Kang Matthew Elliott Farley July 21 2018 Jonathan Gold LA Times restaurant critic and food writer dead at 57 Eater LA Retrieved July 23 2018 Scott A O March 10 2016 Review Tastes of Los Angeles in City of Gold The New York Times Retrieved July 22 2018 Adams Sam January 28 2015 Sundance 2015 City of Gold documents eclectic Times critic Jonathan Gold Los Angeles Times Retrieved July 22 2018 Nathan Joan June 27 2012 L A s Jewish Top Foodie Tablet Hewitt Allison January 11 2016 Q amp A with Mark Gold How a new UCLA research plan will create a sustainable Los Angeles UCLA Newsroom Chang Andrea July 21 2018 Los Angeles Times restaurant critic Jonathan Gold dies at 57 The Los Angeles Times Jonathan David Gold 1960 2018 Find a Grave Find a Grave Chang Andrea July 29 2018 L A will pay tribute to Jonathan Gold with a city of gold this weekend Los Angeles Times External links EditJonathan Gold at IMDb Media related to Jonathan Gold at Wikimedia Commons Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Jonathan Gold amp oldid 1117872762, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
