NEW ZEALAND POST WRITERS & READERS WEEK

RUTH REICHL STEALS THE SHOW

Ruth Reichl used to strike fear into the hearts of New York restaurateurs during her six year reign as the restaurant critic for that august newspaper.

But for those of us lucky enough to be in the audience at the Embassy theartre in Wellington this evening, (and it was pretty much a full house), she was totally entertaining, thoughtful, occasionally provocative and above all else her love of cooking and food shone through the whole hour. What a delight. I could have listened to her all night!

She is a native New Yorker having grown up in Greenwich Village and apart from a stint in California in the 70's she has lived much of her life there.

She has three memoirs to her credit and has collected and edited other writing as well but these days is the Editor of Gourmet magazine.

Dressed all in black and with all that hair she looked from my distance something of a witch but once she spoke she dispelled that image.

Brilliantly led by Kim Hill , who credited Ruth Reichl for helping us to realise that food is more than what is on the plate, she ranged across a huge variety of subjects including the value of the critic (in any field), cooking at home, NY restaurants then and now, the life f a restaurant critic, the disguises she used - Molly, Emily, Brenda, Betty & others - , life in California in the 70's, the LA Times food section, food politics, farm subsidies, farmers markets,unsustainable fisheries, Bill Buford's wonderful book, HEAT, and organic food.