– Early life and education:
– Born in London, raised in Kuwait, Sudan, and France, settled in Cobb County, Georgia as a teenager
– Mother born in Uganda, father raised in India
– Attended Emerson College, earned a BA in literature
– Career:
– Joined The Village Voice in 2012 as a food critic
– Won James Beard Foundation’s Craig Claiborne Distinguished Restaurant Review Award in 2013 and 2016
– Joined Bloomberg in 2014 as a food editor and restaurant critic
– Joined the New York Times in 2016 as a food department staff writer and monthly columnist
– Named New York Times’ first California restaurant critic in 2018
– Personal life:
– Contracted COVID-19 in December 2020, lost sense of smell, used smell therapy to regain it
– Lives in Los Angeles
– Awards and accolades:
– Forbes 30 under 30 in Food & Wine in 2012
– Won James Beard Foundation Awards in 2013 and 2016 for restaurant reviews
– Received Vilcek Prize for Creative Promise in Culinary Arts in 2019
– References:
– Astor Center – Wine and Food Experiences in NYC
– Forbes’ 30 Under 30 – Food & Wine
– New York Times articles on her work and role as California restaurant critic
– NPR coverage on her sense of smell recovery after COVID-19
– LAmag article on her contributions to food journalism and coverage of LA
Tejal Rao (born 1982 or 1983) is a restaurant critic, recipe developer and writer based in Los Angeles. In 2018, she was named the first California restaurant critic for The New York Times. In 2021, she was named editor of the New York Times subscription cooking newsletter The Veggie.
Tejal Rao | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1982 or 1983 (age 40–41) London, United Kingdom |
| Education | Emerson College (BA) |
| Alma mater | Emerson College |
| Occupation(s) | Restaurant critic, recipe developer |
| Employer(s) | The Village Voice, New York Times, Bloomberg L.P. |
| Website | www |
