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Meridith Ford-Bio
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
FAQs of a newspaper dining critic:
Q: Does the restaurant know whom you are when you eat there?
A: The idea is to be anonymous, although that’s getting harder and harder to do in this town. And I’m not one for disguises. How stupid would it look for me to visit a restaurant and have the owner look at me and wonder, “Why is Meridith Ford wearing that ridiculous wig?” I’m not into my fake mustache falling into my martini, either.
Q: Surely the restaurant pays for your meal, right? That’s why they get good reviews?
A: Are you on crack? What’s your explanation for a bad review? The AJC pays for ALL my meals when I’m on the clock, and frankly, I’m pretty much always on the clock.
Q: How many times do you visit a restaurant before it’s written about in a review?
A: For the full review that appears in Friday’s Living Section (and online at www.accessatlanta.com ), I visit the restaurant an average of three times, sometimes four. If something was exceptionally good, I want to make sure it was exceptionally good more than once. Ditto if it was bad — I mean, maybe the chef was having an off night or something.
Q: How did you get your job? It must be the greatest job in the world…
A: I have no idea how I got this job. I consider myself pretty lucky. I do have street cred, though: I was a chef for a long time in another life, and then started styling food for local publications. That prompted writing, and writing led to a lot of gigs with some national magazines. I was the dining critic for the Providence Journal for five years before I came back to Atlanta, my hometown.
It is a really fun job, and a privilege. There are nights when I’d like to hole up in front of TV with my jammies and a bowl of popcorn, though
Q: Why aren’t you fat?
A: Dude, three words: cross fit training.
Permalink | Comments (3) | Post your comment | Categories: Bio
Comments
By June Gader
July 30, 2008 2:07 PM | Link to this
To Meridith Ford: you have an unusually broad knowledge of foods of many countries. I spent years in L.A. with Ruth Reichel (sp?) as the major food critic, and never quite believed in her expertise. I don’t always agree with your reviews, but you certainly know what you’re talking about. I wrote for Bon Appetit for years, and have done reviews for them and for Gault-Milleau, so I have some expertise myself. I’ve always read the NYT reviews as well. You are right at the top of the list of fine food critics.
By Phil Lanier
August 27, 2008 2:16 PM | Link to this
Right on, Ms. Gader! As a well read and worldly foodie, I think you nailed Ms. Ford pretty well. I like the intelligence and insight of her pieces. While I may not always agree with every review, she hits a homer more often than not. We’ve discovered several great spots and dishes due to her columns. Now if the AJC would put her back on the front of the Food Section, I’d be happy.
By Meridith Ford
August 27, 2008 4:23 PM | Link to this
June AND Phil: Thanks so much! I’m thrilled that you enjoy what I write, and even more so that you don’t always agree with me! That’s high praise, indeed.