Judy Havemann

[rhodegirl]

I believe the Post has named Judith Havemann as the new Food Editor. I don't know if it's interim or permanent. Havemann, I believe, is a longtime Post staff writer - I know she was covering welfare reform several years back and did an excellent job on an incredibly complicated issue. She may have worked as an editor at some point as well, not sure. She is a very good reporter and writer - I say this based solely on reading her work over the years. I don't know her personally.

[DonRocks]

On Tuesday, I attended a small lunch for Judy Havemann - a chance for several of us to meet and welcome her to her new position of Washington Post Food Editor, a permanent position that Judy officially assumed this week.

I was immensely impressed by Judy. She is extremely intelligent (a Nieman Fellow from Harvard), charming and disarmingly without pretense. Her outlook for the Food section is global in scope, reflecting a very different demographic in the Washington area than existed twenty years ago, and in keeping with the international importance of the newspaper as a whole.

The implementation of this is clearly going to be a work in progress: Judy impressed us all by eagerly (and genuinely) soliciting opinions about the types of things we'd like to see in the Food section, and I'm certain that she will spend the upcoming weeks and months doing more of the same. Things will evolve, and the picture of where things are going should become clearer in the near future.

"Everyone reads eGullet," she told me, and I'm certain that all constructive feedback on this forum will be read, appreciated and incorporated into Judy's open-minded and expansive vision of where she wants to take the Washington Post Food section.

Welcome Judy!

[8Track]

... I'm certain that all constructive feedback on this forum will be read, appreciated and incorporated into Judy's open-minded and expansive vision of where she wants to take the Washington Post Food section...

←

In other words -- keep it nice, folks.

In the spirit of constructive comment, here are some of my suggestions:

1. More restaurant reviews and more news about local food and eateries. Surely we have a large enough base of restaurants that we could have reviews of more than one per week in the Sunday Post? The Wednesday version could be a condensed format and Sunday reserved for more notable restaurants. In the same vein, a newsy regular column about local food happenings would inform the public and generate benefical buzz for the industry.

2. I would divide recipes into two categories -- one set that feature some central theme, technique or ingredient (sort of what is being done now), and one that simply features an inspiring dish or two from a local restaurant or by a local chef.

3. Back off the "easy" recipe stuff a little bit. I imagine that the Food section is generally read by people who really have an interest in food, and less by people who consider themselves too busy to eat well. I'm not saying it needs to be pitched at gastronomes, but it at least ought to appeal to that category in some portion. That's your core audience.

4. The wine column is a tough one. I think that there should be a mix of coverage of "splurge" wines and every day wines, with the latter category having more weight. Most people who are reading would appreciate a tip regarding a good, everyday wine. Those who have $50 or more to spend generally get their information from their wine merchant, a sommelier, a wine tasting, or a specialty magazine such as Wine Spectator.

5. Above all, the Food section ought to wave a flag for Washington food. It could, if done well, raise the profile of Washington's culinary environment. Fact is, we are a pretty good restaurant town (top five in the country, IMHO), although we don't ever get credit for it.

Edited January 13, 2005 by 8Track (log)

[Tweaked]

I'd like to see more interviews/articles about chefs and their restaurants with perhaps a recipe or two from the chef.

[Sthitch]

... I'm certain that all constructive feedback on this forum will be read, appreciated and incorporated into Judy's open-minded and expansive vision of where she wants to take the Washington Post Food section...

←

In other words -- keep it nice, folks.

In the spirit of constructive comment, here are some of my suggestions:

1. More restaurant reviews and more news about local food and eateries ... a newsy regular column about local food happenings would inform the public and generate benefical buzz for the industry.

2. ... an inspiring dish or two from a local restaurant or by a local chef.

3. Back off the "easy" recipe stuff a little bit. I imagine that the Food section is generally read by people who really have an interest in food, and less by people who consider themselves too busy to eat well. ..

4. The wine column ...

5. Above all, the Food section ought to wave a flag for Washington food. It could, if done well, raise the profile of Washington's culinary environment. Fact is, we are a pretty good restaurant town (top five in the country, IMHO), although we don't ever get credit for it.

←

1. I agree with you, I would also like to see them look around the region, not just the city and close-in suburbs, but to venture out to the Eastern Shore, or Sheapardstown. I would also like to see a better use of the market report, and use it to point to new and interesting ingredients, and where to find it.

2. This would go a long way to helping with #5, but also give some of the chefs who are not known outside of Washington a chance to show-off their creativity.

3. I do not mind some of the easy stuff from time to time, just as long as it is not dumbing-down food for the sake of simplicity.

4. Kill the wine column, I have never gotten anything from it.

5. Amen.

I would also like to see more interesting food related stories. One of the funniest things I have ever read was in the Post's food section. It was the story written by an intern about making Tiramisu for her family. There was a disconnect between the meaning of lady finger. It was a true master piece. I have not seen anything like that since.

I think it would also be helpful to publish an annual "resource guide" to the area's food. Not a restaurant guide, or another useless reader's poll, but a guide to where you can find a nice piece of meat, or fish; where to find a good baguette, or chocolate. Along these lines, I would not mind an occasional section on where to find various ingredients on-line.

[cjsadler]

I'd like to see more interviews/articles about chefs and their restaurants with perhaps a recipe or two from the chef.

←

I've never understood why the Post didn't do something similar to "The Chef" column in the NY Times. A chef (sometimes local, sometimes not) is profiled over several columns (usually three), with a recipe given and discussed each time. It's always a great read and one reason their food section is better than the Post's. (The current 'Chef' is Laurent Tourondel of BLT Steak).

My other suggestion is to find someone talented and give them free reign with a weekly cooking column. The usual Post food section contains a hodgepodge of recipes from random people. It's nice to know and trust a writer's taste. In other words, find the next Mark Bittman.

Edited January 13, 2005 by cjsadler (log)

[Free Wilma]

One of the funniest things I have ever read was in the Post's food section. It was the story written by an intern about making Tiramisu for her family. There was a disconnect between the meaning of lady finger. It was a true master piece. I have not seen anything like that since.

I remember that story very well. I loved the part where they told about using okra instead of the "lady finger" cookies in the tiramisu. What a classic.

[laniloa]

Any chance of doing a Q&A with Judy Havemann so that we can welcome her properly?

As for the section, I agree with previous posters about recipes and features from area chefs. I've enjoyed some of the stories challenging area chefs with certain tasks and I'd like to hear more about their own cooking choices as well as some of these gimmicks (using that word in a good way).

I find myself checking various resource guides over the year -- cooking classes, farmers markets, pick your own fruit -- and would welcome more of this sort of theme piece. Where to get loose tea, quality chocolate, dry aged meat, hard to find spices, knife sharpening, etc.

[oliveDC]

In the same vein, a newsy regular column about local food happenings would inform the public and generate benefical buzz for the industry.

Agreed. I'd love to know more of what's going in the industry, sort of similar to the run down that's usually on Pg. 2 of the Times section reporting where chefs are going, who's opened what, etc.

And pleeease, no more fruity recipes in 'dinner in minutes'!!!! I swear 75 percent incorporate fruit. There's a time and a place for fruit-accented dishes but enough already! (I feel better now.)

[bilrus]

In the same vein, a newsy regular column about local food happenings would inform the public and generate benefical buzz for the industry.

Agreed. I'd love to know more of what's going in the industry, sort of similar to the run down that's usually on Pg. 2 of the Times section reporting where chefs are going, who's opened what, etc.

←

Isn't this already in the food section with the Weekly Dish? Not that I wouldn't mind seeing that expanded a little more.

Also, the Post does run more than 1 review a week - there is Eve Ziebart's Fare Minded column in the Weekend section and the local "reviews" in the regional sections. The latter could be scrapped as far as I am concerned - they tend to be a recitation of what a reviewer ate and a run-down of the menu. Very little criticism is ever involved.

Earlier today I read a few of Todd Kliman's recent columns and I like the approach he takes when he brings other, big picture food issues into his writing. As I think we show here on eGullet there's more to food than just cooking it and eating it at home or in a restaurant. Our fellow Gulleter Monica Bhide did a piece in this vein a while back about a wedding she attended in India. I'd like to see that spirit in more of the writing in Food.

Edited January 13, 2005 by bilrus (log)

[Busboy]

I've been reading both the Post and the Times food sections less these days. Part of it, I think, is that after 20 years of reading the paper, there's just less to learn. And part of it is that the writing simply tends to be shallow. I don't mind shallow writing when it's amusing or informative -- my meager freelance efforts have contributed little to the world's store of knowledge.

But I'd like to see a lot fewer 30-minute recipes and gauzy reminisces about long-dead granmas back in the Olde Country and local chef worship. Sorry 8Track, but between eG, Sietsema in the magazine and on line, Eve Ziebart in the Weekend Section and Todd Kleiman in the City Paper, stuff I think the scene is pretty well covered.

I want to know the economics of a farmer's market -- and whether thery're a yuppie toy or a legitmate alternative food source for poor people. I'd like to see a bitchy article about changing gender roles while dining, featuring the waiter who got a new asshole ripped because he gave the check or the wine list to the man instead of the hostess, and a "modern" woman who won't date a man a second time because he accepted her offer to pay half. I'd like a look at out-of-season fruit as nuanced an passionate as the one going on here. I want someone to make fun of celebrity chefs who sell $50 books that tell you how to make peasant food, and then talk to a couple of peasants to see what they're really eating.

Oh. And I'd like a lot more ethnic stuff, too.

The food section can be food for thought, not just fodder for dinner.

Edited to add: This is not really a rant about the Post, which I actually think does a pretty good job -- head and shoulders above most papers. It's just a general rant about the state of food journalism in general.

Edited January 13, 2005 by Busboy (log)

[DCMark]

Since this is becoming a note to Judy, I vote to keep the wine section. Expand it and add new talent. I have purchased a few gems from their recomendations.

[MicBacchus]

I agree, keep the wine section. If there's more about ethnic cuisine, then it would be helpful to see suggestions of stores where items can be purchased. For those of us who live in the far 'burbs BUT who are willing to drive to find what we want, it would be great to have an idea of where to go to make the day successful.

[Joe H]

This is a topic that I cannot resist offering an opinion or two.

She is going to be limited by her budget and the overall direction that the Post will allow her to take it in. In part the budget will be dictated by advertising and I am guessing that as she is able to grow reveue for the section itself, so will she grow its breadth.

Respectfully, but I believe some type of discussion of wine is absolutely essential. I also see no reason why bottles in the $40 to 100 range cannot be discussed occasionally just as values in the $10 range can also be discussed. There is an audience for both and credibility for one can be related to the other. A lot of an author's credibility is their taste and the ability of the reader to relate to it based on their own experiences. I don't expect the Post's writer to take the place of the Wine Spectator or Parker. But in this, one of the most competitively priced cities in America for wine as well as one of the few that allows direct importing, I think there is an opportunity for informative as well as interesting writing that can relate to this.

I like Jane and Michael Stern. I've followed them for 25 years since their first book. Over the years they have led me to countless restaurants around the U. S. that I've been able to stop at during business travel. The Post's old "Crummy but Good" column was in the same vein. While I may not have always agreed with his opinions I thought the concept, similar to Jane and Michael but locally based, was excellent. I would like to see the Post resurrect this. This isn't so much a review that I am suggesting as it is a weekly column dedicated to "discovery."

I would like to see a weekly feature on a local supplier. Heidi Morf makes incredible goat cheese in Flint Hill, VA, Lewes Dairy has cream top milk and pasteurized cream worthy of any White Mountain freezer-whatever happened to Arrow live poultry near Chinatown? There are countless artisinal suppliers, farmers, ranchers, dairymen-characters worth writing about. I remember a couple in Orange, VA who had moved to DC from the Caribbean and opened a restaurant IN their home. Survivors of the '60's incense burned in the entry when you opened the door . Everyone who ate there literally became a member of their family for the few hours they sat at the table, sometimes served by their children. True characters, unique and interesting, worthy of a discussion.

I would like to see a monthly feature that incorporates humor and personality which introduces a unique perspective to food. Two examples come to mind. The first is the following link: http://www.chowhound.com/boards/intl3/messages/12263.html

Because my "background" is from another board I am familiar with most of the essays on it over the past four or five years. This link is to the best of all that I ever read. I have no idea where the authors are today. The second is one that imodestly I wrote, entitled the "5,000 Mile Hamburger." This is the link to it:

http://www.chowhound.com/boards/general18/...ages/64210.html Over several incarnations this received about 250 responses.

I would also like to see an occsasional reminiscense to the DC of another time: YWCA chocolate chip cookies, Stephenson's bakery in Anacostia, Kennedy street, NW in the '50's where Jerry's Sub Shop got its start, just up from Weihle's Ice Cream (home of the $30 Lincoln Memorial sundae) and the Alpine where Link Wray was the house band. Obscure, well yes. But for many DC really is a hometown and this speaks to that. I believe there is something special when a paper such as the Post carries pride in continuing the rich tradition of the city it is a part of. Most of Washington today has no idea that DC ever had an identity that someone could refer to as their "hometown." Willard Scott did when he was a "Joy Boy" in the 60's and '70's. But this is DC as Cincinnati, Pittsburgh and Dallas with hometown flavor and hometown pride. I think the Post because it was part of it and still is should be the flag bearer for this pride.

I cite these as examples of occasional features which could lend another perspective to the Food section to compliment those above. Collectively these represent personality, information and the opportunity to present local excellence (i.e. suppliers, local roadfood) to a wide audience.

I am one of those who does not believe that recipes are the foundation of a Food section. I think they are indispensable as well as important and expected. But I believe there are other features which present local character and local excellence that can set the Post's Food section apart.

Edited January 13, 2005 by Joe H (log)

[zoramargolis]

Linda Burum, a food writer at the L.A. Times, used to do a regular monthly column about ethnic markets and food resources in the greater Los Angeles area that was much more helpful than the "Fare Minded" blurbs in the Post. She went into great depth about the available products and ingredients and what they are used for--a valuable resource for education as well as for sourcing products, as well as letting the readers get to know the owners of these businesses. Eve Ziebart has done a book like this, but a newspaper column is so much more current and nmble in response to things opening, closing and changing in various ways.

I also agree with Joe H, regarding more profiles of local farmers and artisanal producers. And I'd like to see the Post move beyond a focus on restaurant chefs, and profile skilled and passionate home cooks. Great cooks don't all work in restaurant kitchens! Years ago, The L.A. Times used to send a writer to spend a day with a home cook recommended to them by people who knew the cook. ("Who's the best cook you know? Send us their name.") The writer was present while the home cook prepared and served a meal and the subsequent article profiled the cook, reported on the process and provided recipes. I remember reading something like this when I first moved to D.C., about a man who gives parties and serves cajun food every weekend, in his apartment. I never read anything similar after that. This is a great way to do articles about ethnic dishes that are much more likely to be found in authentic versions in people's homes-- with the ingredients purchased at local sources available to other home cooks, rather than from restaurants' wholesale purveyors.

The first person I'd like to recommend to the Wash Post to profile is Joe Heflin, who makes kick-ass risotto and bouillabaise, a bizarrely addictive garlic bread and amazing homemade ice cream for the lucky people who get invited to his house for dinner.

[Busboy]

I agree with a lot of Joe H.'s suggestions but resist the idea of churning out so many regular feature -- weekly supplier features, monthly humor and personality etc, especially on top of the existing features and the additional ones others have called for.

Too many regular features give the anything a cookie-cutter feel, like something pasted together from wire services. And the search to come up with something, anything to fill the space dilutes the quality.

A little anarchy and spontenaity can be a good thing, even if it does bring the occasional off week. There's a reason why so many jazz musicians stay fresh for decades, while so many other bands have a shelf life measured in weeks.

[rvanrens]

I think it would also be helpful to publish an annual "resource guide" to the area's food. Not a restaurant guide, or another useless reader's poll, but a guide to where you can find a nice piece of meat, or fish; where to find a good baguette, or chocolate. Along these lines, I would not mind an occasional section on where to find various ingredients on-line.

←

[Meredith]

I'd like to see more interviews/articles about chefs and their restaurants with perhaps a recipe or two from the chef.

←

In that vein, I liked the $10 challenges to local chefs. It was fun! It was interesting! It was just really kinda cool. It also proved that you didn't need a huge budget to eat interesting food. However, I didn't like the handing the chefs takeout food, and asking them to do something fancy with it. It just made me go 'But why...?' I'd like to ditch the love affair with supermarket takeout actually.

I'd like to see Eve Ziebart moved into the Food section, and given more column inches. She's buried in the Weekend section, and is probably forgotten about by most readers.

I'd also love to hear more about local suppliers. I'd like to see something serious South Mountain Creamery. Our about any of the farms in Western MD. Hell, even the remaining farms in Southern MD. The only time we hear about local food/farmers/orchards are in the mini little trip articles in the Source. (Our is it Travel? I can't remember.) It's around, how about traveling out of the city a little to see it? And, yes, publish the market guides and you pick guides <B>before</b> the seasons start.

[Robin Shuster]

I've been reading both the Post and the Times food sections less these days. Part of it, I think, is that after 20 years of reading the paper, there's just less to learn. And part of it is that the writing simply tends to be shallow. I don't mind shallow writing when it's amusing or informative -- my meager freelance efforts have contributed little to the world's store of knowledge.

But I'd like to see a lot fewer 30-minute recipes and gauzy reminisces about long-dead granmas back in the Olde Country and local chef worship. Sorry 8Track, but between eG, Sietsema in the magazine and on line, Eve Ziebart in the Weekend Section and Todd Kleiman in the City Paper, stuff I think the scene is pretty well covered.

I want to know the economics of a farmer's market -- and whether thery're a yuppie toy or a legitmate alternative food source for poor people. I'd like to see a bitchy article about changing gender roles while dining, featuring the waiter who got a new asshole ripped because he gave the check or the wine list to the man instead of the hostess, and a "modern" woman who won't date a man a second time because he accepted her offer to pay half. I'd like a look at out-of-season fruit as nuanced an passionate as the one going on here. I want someone to make fun of celebrity chefs who sell $50 books that tell you how to make peasant food, and then talk to a couple of peasants to see what they're really eating.

Oh. And I'd like a lot more ethnic stuff, too.

The food section can be food for thought, not just fodder for dinner.

Edited to add: This is not really a rant about the Post, which I actually think does a pretty good job -- head and shoulders above most papers. It's just a general rant about the state of food journalism in general.

←

I agree with Busboy. I want lots more food for thought! Michael Pollan- type articles about food. I admit to a certain prejudice, but I think the food section is a great place to write about the farming industry, about local farming, about the economics of farming, about food politics, farmers markets, about why it is so much easier to get New Zealand lamb into DC than lamb raised by a farmer 50 miles miles in Virgina, about why there are almost no local grass based dairies left when the Shenandoah valley used to be full of them, about what is actually in season in this area and delicious ways to prepare it. I never see any coverage of the conferences held every year by PASA or CASA or what it is takes to create a successful family farm in this area -- all without any farm subsidies. We have some very successful local small farms here and some of the best farmers markets in the country.... there are 70 farmers markets in the Metro area. Farming is important but it is hardly written about.

[JPW]

about what is actually in season in this area and delicious ways to prepare it. 

Actually Robin, I think that they do a good job of this, especially in the summer. If memory serves me right, they did one on toms and one on apple cider this year among others.

I do agree with your other points. It would be very nice to see more on local providers.